Love Revealed
by MoreBonesPlz
Summary: A series of chapters that could be read as one-shots or together as a story describing how some of B&B's friends and colleagues discovered they were finally together, as a couple. Response to a challenge. Rating for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1 - Angela

**A/N**: _Jenny1701 challenged me to write something about how the people at the FBI, including Hacker and Caroline, discover B&amp;B are more than "just" partners. Here's what gurgled up from my mind in the midst of last minute holiday shopping and holiday feasts with family &amp; friends. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, I couldn't keep my mind totally out of the gutter when imagining the early B&amp;B relationship that never made it onto the TV screen so I'm calling this one M for later chapters. I started with Angela, primarily as an introduction and to set up the background story for the remaining characters, even though her discovery of B&amp;B's change in status was partially explained in S6x23. Planning for this to be 5 chapters. Hope it ultimately satisfies Jenny1701's request …_

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination.

When Booth and Brennan finally let go of all their fears, excuses, and misguided intentions and allowed themselves to be together, intimately, Angela was the first to know. Well, technically, Angela was the third to know as Booth and Brennan were the first two to know. It was the morning after intern Vincent Nigel-Murray had been brutally murdered while working right beside Brennan on the forensics platform in the Jeffersonian. The whole team had come back in to work that morning more determined than ever to harness their collective reasoning skills and help Booth, and the FBI, to locate and capture Jacob Broadsky, the rogue sniper responsible for multiple deaths, including poor Vincent's.

Angela had been subtly watching Brennan all morning. Her good friend seemed completely distracted and Angela was worried that Brennan was struggling with compartmentalizing her emotions, something the anthropologist typically excelled at to a fault.

Angela decided it was probably time to check up on her friend, who had been holed up in one of the bone examination rooms most of the morning. As Angela entered the room, she could see Brennan leaning on the examination table, holding Matt Lysinger's skull in front of her. Over the years they'd been working together, there had been many occasions where Angela had watched Brennan study a set of bones. It was a beautiful thing to see in its own way. The level of concentration and the reverence for the bones could clearly be seen on Brennan's face and she touched and held the bones as though they were treasured artifacts, worthy of respect. But, none of that was present this morning. Brennan stood there, staring at Lysinger's skull, but looking right through it. Her mind was obviously elsewhere.

Angela decided it was time to prod a little and see if she could help Brennan process whatever emotions she appeared to be struggling with. "Hey. You've been staring at Lysinger's skull for a really long time. You trying to get that thing to talk to you?" she asked in a joking manner from the doorway.

Brennan looked up at her confused "Are you being metaphoric?"

"No, I was just trying to lighten the mood. Didn't work."

"The mastoid process is generally not a target in close quarter combat. Perhaps I should examine it microscopically."

Approaching the examination table, Angela responded "You told me that an hour ago. What is going on?" she asked, figuring maybe the direct approach would be best this time. "Um, is this about Vincent?"

"Yes." Brennan responded, with a gentle nod of her head.

"Yeah."

"And … " she paused, hesitating, as though she was considering her words, then took a deep breath and looked up at Angela "I got in to bed with Booth last night" she confessed.

Of all the possible things Angela might have anticipated coming out of Brennan's mouth, that was _nowhere_ on the list. She was stunned and felt helpless to prevent her mouth from dropping open as she stared at Brennan, dumbfounded. She felt like a vacuum had just sucked the ability to understand language right out of her mind. Was Brennan really saying what it sounded like she was saying?

Unnerved by Angela's silence, Brennan questioned "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Because … I don't want to yell Hallelujah so close to losing Vincent." Angela responded, feeling flustered.

"I think I did it because of Vincent."

"Wait … whoa, huh" With anyone else, there wouldn't be any doubt what was meant by 'getting in to bed with' another person. But, since this was Brennan, literal to a fault, Angela needed her to be clear on exactly what she meant. After watching Booth and Brennan circle each other for so many years, she didn't think it was beyond the realm of possibility that they'd crawl in to bed together and just go to sleep, no hanky-panky. God, she hoped there was hanky-panky. "What, what exactly happened after you … after you crawled in to bed with Booth?"

For just a brief moment, Brennan looked like she was recalling an unhappy memory, but then, she smiled, the kind of smile that indicated she was recollecting something very pleasurable and she'd like to experience it again. Her whole face was transformed with a look of joy that Angela had rarely seen on her friend's face, but had been hoping to see for years.

Before Brennan could respond, Hodgins came rushing in to the room "I got the GC mass spec results back on the bullet that killed Vincent" quickly rolling off his tongue.

"Honey, no, not right now. I'm sorry. I love you, but go tell Cam." Angela cut off her husband sharply. There was no way, no way in hell, she was going to let work interfere with this monumental revelation. Yes, Vincent was important, but as far as she was concerned, so was Brennan and Brennan seemed to need to talk about what happened with Booth in order to be able to process it and refocus_. It was girl talk time, damn it._ When Hodgins hesitated, looking a little stunned and rejected, Angela spoke to him more forcefully. "Go. Away." Hodgins started to leave, but turned back, until Angela yelled at him again "Awaay."

Not wanting any more interruptions, Angela immediately marched over to the exit from the room, closed the door, and locked it before turning back to Brennan to continue where they'd left off. Brennan was looking at Angela a little uncertainly, slightly overwhelmed by Angela's ejection of Hodgins from the room.

"OK, Sweetie. Spill."

"I'm not sure what you want me to say."

"I want you to tell me exactly what happened last night." Angela said with a naughty smile on her face and a waggle of her eyebrows. "Details are permitted. Was it amazing?"

"What happened?" Brennan took a deep breath, thinking for a moment, before letting it out. "I was upset about Vincent's death and I felt like he thought I was somehow responsible based on his final words. I couldn't sleep. I just kept hearing his voice in my head asking me over and over why_ I_ made him leave. Eventually, I gave up trying to figure it out on my own and I went to Booth's room to talk to him, even though it was the middle of the night. I needed to talk, to understand. Booth listened to my concerns and he helped me accept that Vincent wasn't blaming me. In the end, we laid down together and he held me until we both fell asleep." then her face softened and her expression became a little dreamy "but, this morning … Oh, Ange, this morning was … it was wonderful. Booth's alarm woke us both, but he just shut it off, then pulled me back into his arms and it felt so, so right. Neither one of us wanted to get out of the bed or break our connection. I'm not entirely sure who ultimately made the first move or exactly how we went from just lying there, cuddling, to making love, but we did and it was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced. There wasn't enough time for it to be slow and leisurely, but neither was it frantic or desperate. Hmmm, I guess the best word to describe the experience would be to call it intense. Every look and every touch seemed to carry with it so much emotion, so much meaning. As impossible as it seems, I felt my chest swelling with feelings and when my release came, it seemed to transcend simple physical pleasure. It was just so much _more_ than any past sexual encounter I've had."

"Oh, Bren. I'm so happy for you" Angela expressed sincerely as she reached out and gave Brennan a warm hug. "So, what does this mean?"

"I'm not … I don't know exactly. I assume that Booth and I are entering into a romantic relationship, but I, well, I don't know exactly what that means or what's expected now. We didn't really have time to talk afterwards and now, well, now I'm finding it challenging to understand or control my emotions."

"Bren, what you're feeling is normal, alright. This … whatever it is … this is a BIG change and it will take a little time to get your bearings and, Sweetie, that's okay. It's acceptable for you to be feeling confused or overwhelmed or even a little scared right now. It will be that way for Booth too, so keep that in mind. The most important thing right now is whether you're happy. Are you?"

Brennan looked at Angela, a serious mien to her face while she considered how to respond, then she looked back down at the skull, still clasped loosely in her hands "I seem to be feeling many different things right now and I'm finding it difficult isolate any one particular feeling. I don't regret what happened between us and I want it to happen again. Frequently, if I have any say in the matter. Just the thought of seeing Booth again fills me with a, a joy I can't begin to describe, but, right now, mostly I'm feeling extremely anxious. I'm worried about Booth being out there, facing off with Broadsky, and possibly getting hurt. I'm worried that I'll say or do something wrong and ruin not just our chance at a romantic relationship, but the partnership we've maintained for so many years. I'm worried how Booth's superiors at the FBI will react to our new relationship status. I'm worried that I won't be able to make him happy and Booth deserves to be happy."

"Listen, Bren. I love you and you know that I've thought you should jump Booth for years so I'm thrilled you guys finally did the dirty-deed. Every one of us here, at the Jeffersonian, is going to do everything we can to help him get that bastard, Broadsky, so he can come home to you at night. As for your other concerns, Booth's known you for seven years Sweetie. He knows who you are and what he's getting into. He knows you speak your mind but, that it comes from the heart. He knows some people think you're cold and stand-offish but that really, you're a very warm person who's just trying to protect herself from getting hurt. He knows that you can sometimes be a little arrogant, or a little abrupt or a lot pig-headed. But he loves you because he also knows you're intelligent, hard-working, honest, and loyal. He knows you'll defend those who can't defend themselves and that you'll fight passionately in the pursuit of justice. He knows you can be socially awkward and he knows your odd sense of humor. He knows your past and your scars and he accepts them, the same way you know and accept his past and his scars. Booth knows what I've known for years – that despite the fact that you can be difficult at times, being the recipient of a love as fierce and true as yours is an amazing honor. So, my advice to you is to trust him, Bren. Trust him and trust yourself. As for his superiors, they've got a good thing going with you two and they'd be fools to mess with that so don't let that hold you back."

Brennan grabbed Angela and gave her another hug. "Thanks, Ange. I'm not sure what I ever did to earn your friendship, but I am very grateful for it. I love you too you know."

"Yeah, I know."

Brennan turned back to the examination table and held up Lysinger's skull again. "You know, there's something odd about the two bruises on the mastoid process here. I need to take a closer look at these as there's something important here that my brain is just not grasping yet."

And with that, Angela recognized that, for now, girl talk time was over. "OK, Sweetie. I'm going to go find Jack and make up for shooing him away earlier. Just remember, I'm here for you if you need to talk about anything again." Then, she turned and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2 - Parker

**A/N**: _Many FF stories addressing the other character's discovering B&amp;B getting together seem to follow one of two themes: B&amp;B are trying to keep their relationship a secret, but the secret gets out or B&amp;B make an announcement to their friends/colleagues. While I have read __and enjoyed__ many of these stories, both those themes seem a little OOC to me. Brennan's lousy at secrets and has never tried to keep any of her other relationships hidden. Booth's discreet, not secretive. Neither Booth nor Brennan seem to me like the type to make an announcement about anything personal. I've always figured Booth and Brennan would just do their thing and eventually people would kind of figure it out, like most real world relationships. I don't think Brennan would be bashful about physically expressing her affection or making some inappropriate comment but they'd both be respectful of the work environment and their professional reputations. So, that's the approach I've tried to take here. Of course, FF wouldn't be much fun if I kept them too respectful …_

Warmth. Brennan hovered in that place between sleeping and awakening and felt cocooned in a comforting warmth that she had no desire to disrupt. But, wakefulness has a way of creeping up on us and taking over whether we want it to or not. As her conscious mind started to stir, she became aware of other sensations in addition to the comforting warmth.

She could feel Booth all around her – his naked chest pressed against her bare back, one of his arms under the pillow beneath her head and the other draped over her waist. His hand resting just below her breasts. His legs tangled with hers beneath the covers, and most deliciously, his semi-erect penis was nestled snuggly against her ass.

As she lay there, enjoying their first Saturday morning together since becoming lovers a few days earlier, she could hear the soft, steady cadence of his breathing, his mouth just inches from her ear, and feel the slight stirring of her hair with each breath he exhaled. She could smell that masculine scent that was uniquely Booth to her, a little musky with a hint of sandalwood and something else that was simply Booth's.

She couldn't help but allow a gentle smile to curve her lips as she recalled the night before. She and Booth had met after work and gone to a little Italian restaurant Booth enjoyed for dinner. It was the first time they'd been out together since the day Vincent died, not counting meals at the diner, and it had felt like a first date. It was hard to describe exactly how it was different from the many other times they'd gone out together before, but it was. Like always, Booth was attentive and they'd not had any difficulty finding things to talk about. But, they'd both known it was different. There were more little touches, simple brushes of fingertips really, but they lingered a little longer than necessary and felt more intimate than in the past. Booth and Brennan had always gotten lost looking into each other's eyes while carrying on a conversation, but this time, there was an unmasked hunger for each other in their gazes which they both recognized and relished. Brennan had enjoyed herself immensely.

After dinner, they'd come back to Booth's apartment to watch a movie together. Brennan grinned. At least, that was the excuse Booth had provided for inviting her to stay. She didn't think they'd made it through the opening credits of the movie though before she and Booth were making out like unchaperoned teenagers on his couch. They weren't in a rush though. They knew they had all night and so they'd taken their time, exploring each other's lips and mouths, until the need for _more_ had consumed them both. They'd helped each other disrobe and started exploring each other's bodies with hands, lips, and tongues, their relationship still new enough that there was plenty for them to discover about each other. Brennan's first orgasm of the night had occurred on the couch as Booth's deft fingers stroked in and out of her while he'd suckled her breasts.

Eventually, they'd abandoned the couch for the comfort of his bed, where she'd had her second and third orgasms as he'd stroked into her with his magnificent cock before reaching his own climax. Afterward, he'd rolled off her and pulled her into his arms, where she'd spent the entire night, warm and content.

Now, however, she was rested and ready to play again. Thinking about last night's lovemaking had aroused her so she rolled herself over in Booth's arms, not really caring if the action woke him or not since she didn't intend to let him sleep much longer anyway. Chest-to-chest, she could kiss and nibble along his collarbone, up along his neck towards his ear, then follow along his jawline. She heard him moan and pulled back to see his eyes fluttering open. "Good morning, beautiful. This is a nice way to wake up." he murmured softly, smiling down at her.

"Morning Booth. I hope you slept well and are feeling rested" she answered before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on his lips as her hand trailed down his chest beneath the covers until it encountered the rapidly hardening shaft between his legs. She kissed him and stroked him until he took control, pushing her onto her back, then filling her over and over until she hollered his name as they both came apart again.

It was as they lay there, snuggling in a post-coital haze, that Booth heard an unexpected noise at his front door. He sat up in bed just as he heard "Hey Dad, you awake yet?" hollered from his foyer.

"Yeah, buddy. Ah, I'll be right there. Just, um, just give me a minute." Booth yelled back as he jumped out of bed and frantically grabbed a pair of sweatpants from the laundry pile to cover his nakedness. What the hell was Parker doing here? Booth wasn't supposed to pick him up for a couple hours yet.

Brennan watched Booth dart out the bedroom door, then rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes, a delightful lethargy taking over her body following their morning exertions.

"Hey, Parker. Rebecca. What are you guys doing here?" Booth asked as he met them coming into his living room, trying to play it cool.

"Oh damn, you didn't see my text last night did you?" Rebecca answered. "Parker, why don't you go put your bag in your room while I explain what's going on to your father."

"OK" Parker picked up his duffel bag and headed down the hallway towards his bedroom.

"I'm sorry, Seeley. We're having a mini-crisis at work and last night, my boss called me and a handful of my co-workers to come in for a strategizing meeting this morning. I've got to be there by 8, so I figured I'd just drop Parker off on my way in to work. I assume that's OK right? He was planning to be with you today anyway."

"Uh, yeah. Sure, no problem. This is Parker's home too and he's always welcome here. I was just caught off-guard. You do what you need to at work and I'll bring him back to your place tomorrow night in time for dinner, like usual."

When Rebecca and Parker first walked into Seeley's apartment, her mind had been focused on making sure Parker got delivered okay. But, as she stood there talking to Booth, she started to register other things – like the fact that there was a pair of women's boots next to his coffee table and what appeared to be several pieces of women's clothing on the floor by his couch, assuming Booth hadn't taken to wearing floral prints. She also noticed his hair was mussed in that way it got when someone had been running their fingers through it. The real clincher though was a subtle smell. Rebecca had been intimate with Booth in the past and she knew what he smelled like after sex. It wasn't an unpleasant or an overwhelming smell, and she almost hadn't noticed it at all, but when he leaned close to her to pick up a bag of snacks Parker had left on the floor, she got a quick whiff of what she clearly remembered as his post-sex Booth scent.

"Oh, God. You're not alone."

"Umm ..."

"You don't have some floozy in here that you picked up at a bar last night, do you?"

"What? No. No way. I don't bring home random women from bars anymore like some twenty-year old, Becca. Give me a little credit."

"Please don't tell me you're back with Hannah. You aren't are you? I mean, I know it wouldn't really be my business, but Parker was never really all that comfortable around her. It isn't Hannah, is it Seeley?"

Just the suggestion that he might be back with Hannah was enough to piss him off and he responded a little more harshly than he meant to "You're right, it wouldn't be any of your business. But, no. Hannah and I will never get back together so that's not an issue for you to be concerned about. Whatever we had is over. Completely."

"Oh. Okay. Good. Um, well, whoever she is, you should probably pick up her clothes from your living room area before Parker comes out of his room."

"Right." Booth answered, looking over towards his couch and seeing the disarray of clothing that Rebecca had noticed and heading over to do as she recommended.

"Parker's gonna be surprised Booth. I don't think he had any idea you were dating someone new."

"Yeah, well, about that …"

"Just be patient with him Booth" she interrupted. "You know he's really wanted Temperance to be your girlfriend for a long time now so his initial reaction is to balk at anyone else you date. I've tried to explain to him that he doesn't get a vote on that, but you need to expect it to take him a little time to warm up to anyone else."

Booth scooped up a lacy bra from partially beneath a throw pillow and hid it under the shirt in his hands, then turned back to Rebecca, unable to restrain the goofy smile on his face "well then, we shouldn't have any problem."

Rebecca looked at him, her head tilted in confusion. "Wait … are you saying … you and, and Temperance?" she asked with surprise while Booth just grinned and gave her a slight nod in response. While Rebecca had never really spent much time with Temperance, they'd met several times over the years and she felt like she knew Temperance fairly well just from Parker's stories. Before whatever happened to send Booth running off to Afghanistan last year, many of Parker's weekends with his dad had included Dr. Brennan and for years, Rebecca had listened to her son saying "Dr. Bones says this" or "Dr. Bones did that." Through Parker, Rebecca had actually become surprisingly fond of Dr. Temperance Brennan and, if she were being honest, she'd also been secretly hoping that eventually Seeley and Temperance would become a thing. Her son was crazy about the woman and Rebecca had to admit she'd been a wonderful influence on him with respect to his schoolwork. Based on Parker's comments and her own observations over the years, she suspected Temperance deserved at least partial credit for how well Booth had matured over the last several years too. "Wow. That's … that's great, Seeley. I'm really happy for you. Both of you. When did this happen?"

"Thanks Becca. It hasn't been that long and we're still adjusting to the change in our relationship, but, it feels good. I'm happy … happier than I've been in a long time."

"Well, congratulations" she said, stepping forward to give Booth a quick friendly hug. "She's a good woman, Seeley and I think you two will be good for each other. Now, I've got to get to work before I risk pissing off my boss. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

Walking her to the front door, Booth responded "Sure. Thanks for bringing Parker by and good luck with resolving your crisis."

\- b&amp;b -

Meanwhile … back in Booth's bedroom, Brennan, who had that tingling feeling of being watched, opened her eyes to find Parker Booth standing beside the bed, studying her. The bed in which she lay, totally naked except for the bed sheet which, luckily, was pulled part way up her back leaving only her upper back and shoulders bare to Parker's view.

_Crap. What do I do now?_ Somehow she didn't think Booth was going to be thrilled with this turn of events. Maybe if she just acted like being discovered, unclothed, in Booth's bed was no big deal, Parker - or more accurately, Booth - wouldn't freak out. "Good morning, Parker. We weren't expecting you quite this early. Is everything OK?" She lifted her head and propped herself up on her elbows, making sure to keep her chest covered by the pillow, so she could look at him more directly while conversing.

Parker had entered his dad's bedroom planning to see if there was an extra bar of soap in the bathroom cupboard as the soap in the bathroom Parker used was almost gone. He had not been expecting to find Bones in his dad's bed and was taken aback at first. He hoped it meant what he thought it meant as he liked Bones a lot and thought his dad was usually happiest when she was around.

"Yeah, mom just had to go to work this morning for some lawyery type crisis. Are you naked?"

"Um, yes Parker. I am. I don't think lawyery is a word, but I know what you mean." She figured she might as well respond honestly to his question as she'd always made it a policy to be honest with Parker and the answer was undoubtedly obvious anyway, even to a 10-year old.

"Did you sleep here with dad last night? Like that?"

_Sleep? Oh we did so much more than just sleep._ "Yes, I did. Does that upset you?"

"Nah. I s'pose that means you two had sex. Does this mean you are his girlfriend now?"

"What your father and I do alone together is our business Parker. I don't think your father would appreciate you speculating on what goes on in his love life. As to whether or not I am his girlfriend, well, I've never liked that term as I am no longer a girl, which implies a juvenile female, but yes, your father and I have embarked on a romantic relationship."

"Cool. Are you going to live here now, like Hannah did?"

"No. I'm planning to keep my own apartment, but I'll probably be here more often now when it's your turn to visit your dad. Is that OK with you? I don't want you to feel like I'm getting in the way of you and your dad spending time together. Booth and I were planning to talk to you about our new relationship today and letting you know that we are now seeing each other socially."

"I thought you once said you two couldn't date because you work together. Are you still going to work together?"

"Well, for a long time, your father and I were afraid that dating would interfere with working together and, therefore, wouldn't be a good idea. But, we've come to realize that we both have strong feelings for one another which has, at times, made not-dating and working together a challenge. So, we're going to give dating while working together a try."

Parker nodded his head, accepting her responses with aplomb, a look of concentration on his face as he tried to determine what other questions he might want to ask.

"If you're going to keep your apartment, can I sleep over at your place sometime?"

"We'd have to talk to your father about that, but I've no objections to that proposition. For now though, would you do me a favor and hand me that T-shirt that is on top of your dad's pile of clothes, then turn around while I put it on?"

Parker did as she asked, retrieving Booth's gray Phillies t-shirt from the pile and handing it to her, then turning around and closing his eyes tightly.

"All done." She said a few seconds later and Parker turned around to find her sitting up in the bed, leaning against the headboard with the sheets pulled up covering her lap. Parker immediately hopped up onto the bed and crawled over to Brennan to sit beside her, shoulder to shoulder.

"Awesome. I'd like to go swimming in your pool at night. My friend Tommy went swimming a couple weeks ago at a cousin's house in Florida when it was dark outside and he said it was really cool. Do you think we could try that?"

"Sure Parker. That sounds like fun. You know, if we're going to be spending more time together and sleeping in the same houses, we should probably establish some ground rules."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, I think we should have a rule that no one enters another person's bedroom without permission unless they're absolutely positive the other person is not there. We should knock and then wait for a response before entering."

"Yeah, we have that same rule at mom's house when she has a boyfriend around too."

"Next, I want us to have a rule that allows you to tell me or your father if you think I'm taking up too much of his time and we will agree not to get angry about it. How's that sound?"

"That's cool, but I don't expect that to be a problem. I suppose I'll also need to follow the rule that whenever there's a woman in the house, I need to put the toilet seat down too."

"That would be greatly appreciated, and you should put the lid down too."

Booth came rushing back into the bedroom to warn Brennan about Parker being in the house only to find them snuggled up together on the bed. Booth didn't think it was possible, but seeing her sitting there in his Phillies shirt, in his bed, talking softly with his son, he fell in love with her a little more. "Hey, bud. Listen, Bones and I have something we need to talk to you about."

"It's okay dad. Bones answered all my questions."

At that thought, Booth went a little pale.

**A/N:** _Next chapter should be up tomorrow._


	3. Chapter 3 - Sweets and the FBI Bullpen

**A/N:** _Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. This one's a little on the short side, but c'est la vie, no?_

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination.

Booth and Brennan were working on a relatively new case. The remains of a woman had been found stuffed in her bedroom closet a couple days earlier. The victim was identified as 31-year old Alice Johansen, an attaché to the Norwegian embassy, and she had been viciously stabbed in the chest and abdominal cavity several times before being dragged into the closet of her condominium and hidden under some spare bedding. Whoever had killed her had attempted to clean up the bedroom, where the killing had taken place, but had still left behind a substantial amount of evidence for the forensic investigators at the Jeffersonian Institute and the FBI to find. The FBI had been brought in to the investigation because of the victim's diplomatic status.

Dr. Sweets had profiled the killer as someone who had an emotional investment in the victim. The brutal, frenetic nature of the stabbing indicated that the murder was a crime of passion and intense, personal emotions were obviously in play. The location and direction of the stabbings indicated the killer was right handed, and had been standing face to face with the victim, reinforcing the notion that she knew her attacker. Additionally, the directionality of the wounds indicated that the killer was likely between 5'-10" and 6'-1" tall, therefore, most likely a male.

The FBI had questioned her boyfriend, whom she'd been dating for about 4 months, but he was out of town at a business conference during the established window for time of death and had plenty of witnesses to confirm his alibi. However, a recent interview with a close female friend of the victims had indicated that her previous boyfriend could be a viable suspect. Apparently, that relationship had ended poorly and the ex-boyfriend was still having some personal issues which he held Miss Johansen accountable for. The ex-boyfriend, Mark Snyder, had just been picked up and brought in to the FBI interrogation room and was waiting questioning.

A few minutes earlier, Booth called Sweets and asked him to meet him and Brennan so they could discuss what they knew about Mr. Snyder and determine whether it would be better for Brennan or Sweets to sit in on the interrogation with Booth. They intercepted Sweets coming out of the elevator and the three team members started talking as they walked through the bullpen area, towards the interrogation rooms.

"So, after our victim's friend fingered Mark as a potential suspect, I did a little checking up on him." Sweets began. "Apparently, towards the end of their relationship, Mark started suffering from issues related to erectile dysfunction and, emotionally, he did not handle the issue well. He perceives himself as a man's man and was convinced that his little problem was somehow caused by our victim."

Brennan jumped in "Erectile dysfunction is a recognized medical condition. There are several variables which play into male sexual arousal. Hormones, emotions, the brain, nerves, muscles, and blood vessels are all relevant factors. A problem with any one of these could result in erectile dysfunction. Often times a high stress situation or embarrassment over what is often perceived as a personal failure in lieu of a medical condition can exacerbate the problem."

"That's right Dr. Brennan."

"Didn't Alice's friend tell us that Mr. Snyder is a foreman for some steel iron workers with a construction company? That's a pretty manly job. I bet he got tormented by his co-workers if they found out about his problem." Booth contributed halting their forward motion so he, Sweets, and Bones could talk more easily.

"That's very good Agent Booth. Someone like Mark Snyder would probably consider the, ah, the inability to sustain a healthy erection an affront to his masculinity and feel it jeopardized his ability to uphold the respect of the other men working beneath him. It's very possible that he rationalized his physical ailment by assigning blame for the problem to his ex-girlfriend, our victim, as opposed to seeking out a medical explanation. Without a proper diagnosis, he wouldn't be able to treat the underlying cause of his condition. The longer his problem persisted, the more his anger and, and resentment towards Alice would grow, especially if his problem appeared to be getting worse over time, not better."

"I concur with what Dr. Sweet's is saying Booth. Anthropologically, males often measure their status or position within the tribe based on sexual promiscuity or performance. While most instances of erectile dysfunction can be attributed to physiological conditions, such as diabetes, prostatitis, arteriosclerosis, to name a few, it can also be triggered by certain lifestyle circumstances such as high stress, anxiety, depression, or excessive alcohol consumption. Men who are sexually impotent often experience feelings of inadequacy in other aspects of their lives as well."

"You're in a high stress job, drink alcohol regularly, and occasionally struggle with depression yourself, Agent Booth. How are you doing these days anyway? Have you seen anyone socially now that it's been a couple months since Hannah left?"

"Stop. Just stop right there. You are way out of line buddy. My … my man parts work fine. Just fine." Booth angrily responded wondering how and why the conversation had suddenly shifted to him.

"I agree" chimed in Brennan. "Booth's ability to perform in that area is quite satisfactory and, I can guarantee you, you have no cause for concern" as a little smile of reminiscence appeared on her face and she tossed a flirty look Booth's direction.

Booth's head snapped towards Brennan and he glared at her. "Bones." Sweet's also looked at her, dumbfounded. It was quite normal for her to come to Booth's defense whenever Sweets prodded at him. He would've been surprised if she didn't. But that wasn't exactly the response he'd anticipated. That response implied … no way.

"What?" she asked Booth innocently.

"You can't say things like, like _that_, especially not in front of … you know, shrinky-brain here."

"Why not? It's true. You have an amazingly short refractory period and your stamina is quite impressive. Based on the frequency and the intensity of our lovemaking, I feel quite comfortable assuring Dr. Sweets that his concern for you and your ability to maintain a healthy erection is misdirected."

"Aaarghhh." Booth, hands on his hips, lifted his eyes to the ceiling in resignation and took a deep breath praying silently for patience. This was just part of what being in a relationship with Bones entailed, he reminded himself. The filter on what was likely to come out of her mouth was not tuned to spare _him_ embarrassment.

She placed her hand on his forearm, trying in her own awkward way to comfort him in his obvious distress and apologize for causing his discomfort. "I'm sorry. It was meant as a compliment Booth. You certainly have nothing to be embarrassed about. Your sexual prowess is remarkable." Her voice taking on a softer, husky timber that, combined with her flattery, was stirring his male parts to want to reveal just how well they function. Only this woman had the ability to completely mortify him, charm him, and arouse him all at the same time. Damn. If they weren't standing in the middle of the FBI bullpen, Booth would give her a demonstration of his skill right then and there.

Sweets was still recovering from what seemed to him to be a bombshell. Watching the two of them, the little gentle touches she bestowed on Booth, the close proximity of their bodies, the way they gazed at each other and spoke together as though they were the only ones in the room – anyone not familiar with them and their history would have immediately assumed they were intimately involved. But Sweets had been observing these kinds of displays of affection for years between them and had come to accept that they would never acknowledge the full depth of their true feelings for each other. Apparently, something had happened to change that recently and Sweets was curious as to what that was.

"This is interesting. So, I take it you two are a couple now? How long has this been going on?" Sweets asked, looking back and forth between them.

Brennan turned and looked at him as though he was an imbecile for posing such a question. "Of course we're a couple now Dr. Sweets. How else would I have knowledge of Booth's sexual mannerisms?"

"Ok, enough" Booth had finally had it. "Both of you. No more talk about me and Bones and our relationship. Let's just focus on the case here. Got it. We have a suspect to interrogate and all I want to hear from you right now, Sweets, is information about our suspect."

Of course, it didn't go unnoticed by Booth that this entire discussion had just occurred _outside_ his office, which meant that not only had Sweets been privy to Brennan extolling the merits of his sexual proficiency, so had the entire FBI bullpen. No doubt about it, the jokes and innuendos at his expense would be never ending after this. Looks like he was going to have to move forward the meeting he'd planned to have with Cullen about relationships with FBI liaisons. Unsurprisingly, those observers from the bullpen who had witnessed the exchange would tell you that despite whatever annoyance Booth might have felt at being the topic of such a discussion, there was a definite swagger in his step as he, Brennan, and Sweets walked off towards the interrogation room, Booth's hand resting possessively in the center of Brennan's lower back.

**A/N:** _Next chapter should be up tomorrow._


	4. Chapter 4 - Hacker

**A/N:** _Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. This chapter will make more sense if you've read the last one._

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination.

* * *

Mark Snyder had confessed to killing Alice Johansen. All things considered, it hadn't taken Booth and Sweets very long to break him. They had decided to have Brennan watch the interrogation from behind the one-way glass this time instead of joining Booth in the interrogation room because they thought the suspect, Mark, would be less inclined to admit to an erectile dysfunction problem with a woman in the room. When Sweets fired his shrinky brain at the suspect and started empathizing with him about how an evil woman can mess with a man's masculinity, the suspect had fallen apart and confessed the whole story. All that was left now was to wrap up the paperwork.

Brennan had gone back to the Jeffersonian after the interrogation to pull together the forensic findings and reports from her team of scientists. It was now a little after 8 PM and she had just called Booth offering to bring her files to the FBI so they could wrap it up this evening and not have it lingering over their heads the next day. They still had at least a couple hours of work ahead of them, so she was going to stop off at a little deli on the corner and pick up some dinner for them on her way over.

Now, Brennan stood in the lobby of the Hoover building, waiting for the elevator to come up from the parking levels and convey her up to the 4th floor where Booth's office was, messenger bag full of case files slung over her shoulder and hands full of deli take-out. The soft "ping" announced the arrival of the elevator slightly before the doors opened and she stepped forward, noticing immediately that, despite the late hour, she wouldn't be alone on her ride.

"Hello Andrew. How are you this evening? I didn't think you were usually at the office this late."

Apparently, she was going to be sharing the elevator ride with Andrew Hacker, Booth's boss's boss and someone she had dated casually a little over a year ago. Her relationship with Andrew had never evolved into anything more than friendship. He'd given her plenty of clues to indicate that he had been interested in a sexual relationship and under different circumstances, she probably would have taken him up on his offer. She found Andrew to be enjoyable company and pleasant to look at, but at the time Andrew's path crossed hers, she was in the midst of struggling with the fact that her heart had already committed itself to Special Agent Seeley Booth and she hadn't been able to muster any real interest in having sexual intercourse with anyone else. If there was a female equivalent to their current perp's male erectile dysfunction, then she supposed she'd been suffering from it back then. She and Andrew had parted ways on cordial terms when she left for an extended dig in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, but she hadn't seen him more than once or twice briefly since she'd returned almost half a year ago.

"Temperance" he said with a warm smile on his face. "My evening just got a whole lot better now that I've seen your beautiful smile. I've been out of town for a couple days on business and just got back. Thought I'd drop off some files and check up on a couple things before heading home for the night. You here to see Booth?"

"Yes. We wrapped up a case today involving the murder of a Norwegian attaché and need to finish the paperwork, so I brought him some dinner. We'll probably be working for a couple more hours yet."

"Ah, such dedication. You two are so wonderful for my career and my image. I sometimes think it would be fun to tag along and watch you two in action, catching bad guys, but then people might actually expect me to be able to answer questions about how you two manage so well together. Sometimes ignorance is a much safer path to follow."

The elevator "pinged" again, announcing Brennan's stop and she stepped forward to exit the elevator as the doors opened.

"It was a pleasure to see you Andrew. Take care."

"You too, Temperance."

The doors closed carrying Hacker up to another level and Brennan went forward to meet with Booth. When she got to his office, she found it empty. Setting down the food bags, she pulled out her phone and sent him a text.

_Where are you? I've brought food._

_Conference rm 401A - end of hall near Charlie's desk. _

Brennan turned and headed for the conference room. She located Booth in a smallish room that was sparsely furnished. The walls were bare except for a projection screen at one end and the only furniture consisted of a table in the center of the room surrounded by eight chairs plus a narrow sideboard cabinet where someone could set up snacks or coffee during a meeting.

She set the bags of food down on the sideboard before stepping over to Booth's chair and leaning down to give him a quick hello kiss, pulling back almost immediately before things could get out of control, her hand lingering on his shoulder. She could see the heat flare in his eyes, something she was learning to recognize now that they'd been sleeping together for a couple weeks, and felt a corresponding stirring of her own desire.

"Behave Booth. I brought you dinner and we have work to do. If you're a good boy and finish all your paperwork, maybe we can play later." She stated with a flirtatious smile, pulling away from him to set her messenger bag down at the other end of the table and grab her dinner. "How come you're in here and not in your office?"

Booth watched her organizing her papers and food at the far end of the table and couldn't help but admire how gorgeous she looked to him. "More room for us to spread out than the table in my office. Plus, I would've had to clean up to make room for us. It just seemed easier to find a spot that was less cluttered." He shuffled the papers piled in front of him around to make room for his dinner, then grabbed the deli bag she'd brought him to see what she'd bought.

Booth and Brennan chatted idly while eating their dinner, then buckled down with the paperwork after cleaning up the food remains. For the next hour or so, they worked diligently, side by side, occasionally asking one or the other a question about the case. It was a good, comfortable and companionable experience, reminiscent of many evenings they'd spent together before the strain that had permeated their relationship following their mutual flights to international destinations a little over a year previous. Brennan felt her gaze drifting over to Booth, not for the first time that evening, and noticed he was grinning foolishly at his pile of papers.

"Why are you smiling like that Booth?" Brennan asked, a similar smile creeping across her face at the sight of him so obviously tickled about something.

Booth rocked back in his chair, folding his hands together behind his head, and chuckled. "Just looking through Sweet's notes here and I started thinking about you standing in the middle of the bullpen earlier today, announcing to everyone within earshot what an amazing sex God you consider me to be."

She chuckled "I don't recall ever calling you an amazing sex God, Booth. I simply stated that your ability to perform, sexually, was not an issue for anyone's concern."

Booth just admired her for a minute, amazed at how she was so beautiful and didn't really know it. She was sitting there in a simple button down blouse which displayed her cleavage just enough to titillate; dark blue jeans which hugged her legs and ass perfectly; and high heeled boots which accentuated her long slender legs. Her silky auburn hair framing her face – the face he planned to wake up to every morning for the rest of his life.

"Same difference Bones. Same difference." Booth leaned forward from his chair, stood up, and stalked over to where Brennan was sitting. Then placing his hands on her armrests and leaning down over her, he purred "What every man in that bullpen heard today was you admitting that I rock your socks off" as he closed the distance between their mouths, pressing his lips to hers before she could make some comment about not understanding why he was talking about her socks and relishing her immediate and enthusiastic response as he hungrily devoured her.

He pulled back, laughing softly "Every time you come to see me, at least for the next couple weeks, and you walk through that bullpen, each of those men in there is going to be thinking about you, naked, with your legs wrapped around me Bones. They might picture us in a bed, or up against a wall, or even on top of the desk in my office, but any way they picture it, they're going to know that you're mine and _you like it_! I'd probably be pissed-off if I wasn't so turned by your declaration." He leaned forward and started trailing kisses along her jaw, nipping on her earlobe, and sliding down her neck.

"God, you're such an alpha male. And what about the women?" she asked huskily.

"Mmmm, what women?" he said reaching forward with one hand and undoing the first couple of buttons on her blouse.

"There were some women in that bullpen today too. Do you believe they'll be envisioning the same thing?" She said as she started to gently tug his shirt free from his pants.

"Didn't notice them. What do _you_ suppose was going through their minds?" he probed, her shirt now completely open so he could push it off her shoulders and work on removing her lacy bra next.

"I imagine … " she started as she reached for his Cocky belt buckle "that they were probably jealously wondering …" buckle undone now, she unsnapped his pants and lowered his zipper "about the package you could deliver …" Her hand now wrapped around his erection, stroking him, encouraging him in this game they were playing "that keeps me sooo satisfied."

Booth stood up, not enough to dislodge her hand from his cock, but enough so he was no longer looming over her. He pulled her up from her chair, kissing her thoroughly again as he turned her back to the conference table and hoisted her up to sit on the edge. "Admit it Bones. You think I'm a sex God."

"Himeros was the Greek god of sexual desire and he was usually depicted as a child or youthful man." She responded as he unzipped her boots and pulled them off her legs, one after the other. "He was the twin brother to Eros, the mischievous god of love. Himeros and Eros were frequently depicted as companions to Aphrodite in Greek mythology although there is some controversy as to whether or not she was actually their mother. Unlike Himeros, there is nothing remotely childlike about you Booth."

Booth leaned forward and captured the peak of one of her breasts in his mouth, suckling vigorously while she moaned her pleasure and squirmed on the table top, trying to get her pelvis in closer contact with his. He released her nipple with a gentle pop and as he moved to lave some attention on the other breast taunted her "before we leave this conference room Bones, you're going to call me a sex God. Mark my words." As his lips wrapped around her breast, his hands moved to the fastening of her jeans. It wasn't much longer before she sat completely nude on the table in a FBI conference room, while Booth stood between her legs, fully clothed but for the open fly to his pants.

Brennan grabbed Booth by his tie and pulled him to her for another scorching kiss. Her deft fingers undid the knot at his neck, then proceeded to liberate the buttons of his shirt from their holes. "I want your shirts off Booth. I want to feel your skin against me. Now" she commanded him in a sultry tone. Booth's open dress shirt fell to the floor then he pulled his undershirt off over his head and dropped it beside her on the table.

"Tell me I'm a sex God, Bones. I want to hear you say it."

"Make me" she dared him.

_Game on._

They kissed, they stroked, she ran her nails down his back with just enough pressure to provide pleasure bordering on pain, he pinched, tugged, and bit her nipples until they were standing erect, engorged from the attention and finally, finally, when they were both half-crazed with desire, he lined his cock up with her pussy and slid home, feeling her tight, wet sheath clench around him as she sprawled backwards on the conference room table.

Booth pistoned in and out of Brennan steadily, his hands clenching her hips so that each thrust buried him as deep as possible. Brennan reveled at the feel of him deep inside her channel, caressing her from the inside.

"More" she moaned. "Faster, Booth"

"Tell me I'm a God" he husked..

"You're amazing. I can't get enough of you ... oh, that feels so good."

"Nice, but not what I'm after. Tell me I'm a sex God Bones. Say the words, baby."

She was so close. She knew he was too. She felt him move one of his hands to apply pressure right above her clit. He just bore down with pressure, no movement, no rubbing, just pressure. Just a little more and she was going to explode.

"Yes, ooooh, Booth. Just a little more."

"Bones. Tell me. Sex God." He grunted, fuller sentences no longer in his ability.

She had planned to give in to him from the beginning, but had been enjoying the extra tension from their battle of wills throughout their lovemaking and hadn't wanted to surrender too soon. She was pretty sure (not 100% though) that she could hold out longer than him, but that wasn't really her goal, not this time. Now, she just wanted to cum and she wanted to feel him explode inside her too. If he wanted her to call him a god to make that happen, she'd do it, but her way. "Booth …" she groaned "you .. are .. a .. sex God …. aaah, a veritable _Deity_ …. mmmm …. The way you make me feel … with your _celestial club_ … oooh … it's absolutely _divine_ … almost like a _miracle_ every .. damn .. time."

Booth picked up his pace and started to rotate the finger he'd placed just above her clit. Brennan felt a tingling that seemed to start from her toes as her whole body lit up like a firework and she clenched hard around Booth's cock, milking it and pulling him over the edge with her in a shattering, simultaneous orgasm that seemed to both last an eternity and be over too quickly before Booth collapsed on top of her, both partners panting and out of breath.

Several minutes later, when Booth finally felt he could move again, he lifted his head and quirked an eyebrow at her "celestial club? Really Bones?" and they both started to laugh at her abuse of god-like terms.

Booth looked at the papers that were now in complete disorder on the table and sighed "I suppose we should get back to work or, at the very least, get this mess reorganized so we can tackle it tomorrow."

"I'll admit, I think I've lost my focus for the night and would prefer to just go home."

He reached down and scooped up Brennan's jeans and panties from the floor, handing them to her as he started to fasten his own pants. No sooner had she slipped them on when they both heard the muted "ping" of the elevator down the hall.

"Shit" Booth cursed softly, eyes snapping towards Brennan. "I didn't expect anyone else to be here this late at night."

"Andrew was here" She whispered back, grabbing Booth's undershirt which was sitting beside her on the table and slipping it over her head quickly figuring it would be faster than retrieving her shirt off the floor and messing with all those buttons.

"Andrew? You mean Hacker?" he hissed. "How would you know?"

"I rode up with him on the elevator."

Just seconds after the words left her mouth, Assistant Deputy Director Andrew Hacker appeared in the doorway.

"Booth. Here you are. Temperance mentioned you two would be working late tonight. I was just heading out myself and thought I'd stop by and congratulate you both on your latest triumph. I know I can always count on you guys to make me look good" he said with a jovial smile.

Andrew Hacker may present himself to people as a somewhat oafish and unassuming dolt, but he was no idiot. You didn't rise to the position of Assistant Deputy Director of the FBI without having a keen eye for detail and an innate ability to recognize the undercurrents of a situation and respond diplomatically. His real purpose in stopping by Booth's office was to ask Brennan if she'd be interested in meeting him for coffee some morning. He figured enough time had passed since the last time he'd asked her out that she may have come to terms with whatever issues she'd been struggling with a year ago and be more receptive to getting involved in a relationship with him. Needless to say, a quick glance around the room told him that ship had definitely sailed.

She sat there on the edge of the conference table, in what appeared to be Booth's t-shirt, with no bra if the points the tips of her breasts made in the soft cotton were any indicator, and her bare feet crossed. Pink toenails – so femininely whimsical. Her lips were swollen, her hair was mussed, and the skin on one side of her neck was a little redder than the other, probably from whisker burn. She had that soft visage of a woman recently well pleasured. Andrew took all this in instantly with just a glance and, recognizing just how unbelievably gorgeous a freshly fucked Dr. Brennan looked, realized this would be the only time he'd ever get to see her this way. Partners. Right.

"Well, I'll let you two get back to your work. Booth, stop by my office for a little chat in the morning when you get in, would you?" Which Booth understood to be Hacker's tactful way of telling Booth that he was expected to meet with Hacker, and probably Cullen, in the morning to discuss what Hacker had walked in on tonight.

"Yes sir." As much as Hacker annoyed Booth, primarily because of his previous interest in Bones, Booth acknowledged that Hacker was being a gentleman in exercising discretion and not making an issue out of their office tryst while Brennan was around.

"Thank you, Andrew. Have a good night." Brennan chimed in as Hacker turned away.

"You too. Oh, and make sure you pick up all the papers that are on the floor. I wouldn't want you to leave anything important behind."

Booth and Brennan stayed frozen in silence, right where they were, until they once again heard the "ping" of the elevator followed by the swish of the closing doors. Then, they looked down on the floor where they saw no papers, just a few as yet unclaimed articles of clothing.

"We are so busted."

* * *

**A/N:** _I know a lot of folks didn't like Hacker, but I always thought he was basically a decent guy. Not the right one for Brennan, but decent nonetheless. Therefore, I chose to be kind._

_I have one more chapter planned for this thread, but it's not coming together yet. Not sure exactly when I'll get it posted – probably not for at least a few days. Thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5 - Caroline

**A/N:** _Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. Also, just wanted to give a final thanks to Jenny1701 who sent me down this rabbit hole. Hope you got what you were looking for. This is the final chapter I'd planned for this thread._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination.

* * *

After spending more than 30 years as a prosecutor for the criminal justice system, Caroline Julian was seldom surprised anymore by the vile and reprehensible ways people could behave, especially towards other human beings. As far as she was concerned, most people on this planet weren't worth bothering with. Was she a cynic? Most definitely and if that bothers you, she'd not hesitate to tell you to fuck off. She was who she was and she made no apologies about that. There's not enough damn time in our lives to spend it pandering to the whims of people's egos or trying to curry favor with those who were morally corrupt.

But underneath that harsh persona (admittedly, very deeply underneath it often seemed) actually beat the heart of a warm and compassionate woman. Nothing got her riled more than seeing someone's innocence taken advantage of and she would fiercely and passionately pursue justice against those miscreants who abused or harmed those who weren't in a position to defend themselves. Personally, she couldn't care less if bad people mistreated other bad people, although professionally she sometimes had to swallow her bile and protect some lowlife for the greater good. But when bad people mistreated good people, she'd come after them with everything in her arsenal. It's for that reason, as she sat at her breakfast table early in the pre-dawn morning light, having just been appraised of a new situation that was currently unfolding, that she made the decision to call in Special Agent Seeley Booth and his Merry Band of Squints. She wanted this one handled right.

* * *

Booth was in the middle of a pleasantly erotic dream involving him, Bones, a tropical waterfall, and little to no clothing when he was roused from his slumber by the ringing of his telephone. Bones, who'd been sleeping sprawled half on top of his chest, lifted her head and reached for his cell phone since he was partially pinned beneath her, limiting his mobility. Handing it to him, she returned to her initial position with her cheek resting on one of his pectoral muscles. Of course, now that she was awake, she decided to take advantage of the opportunity her position provided and began to explore the area of chest beneath her cheek with her lips and tongue - kissing, nipping, and sucking lightly.

"Booth" he answered the phone, sliding his free hand up into Brennan's hair to cup her scalp, not pulling her to his chest, but not letting her go, either.

"Morning, Cher. Did I wake you?" Caroline asked, not sounding the least bit repentant. "It's time for you to get that gorgeous FBI ass of yours out of bed and get to work."

"Aaargh, it's barely six o'clock in the morning Caroline" he groaned in to the phone watching regretfully as Brennan stopped her ministrations and lifted her head, looking at Booth quizzically. Either murder or Caroline alone would typically be enough to kill the mood, but together …. Might as well forget it.

"We've got us a crime scene out here in Reston, Virginia that's going to require the special expertise of that lady doctor partner of yours that you like to pretend you're not in love with. How quickly can you locate Dr. Brennan and get yourselves over here?"

"Shouldn't take long to locate Bones. We can probably be there in about an hour. Is this an indoor or outdoor crime scene?"

"A little bit of both, Cher. I'll text you the address right after I call Dr. Saroyan" and with that, the line went dead before he had the chance to ask for any more information.

"Damn" he said, looking at Brennan with disappointment. They'd only been sleeping together a few weeks, but he'd been getting used to a hearty good morning romp and was going to be sorry to miss out this morning. "Looks like duty calls. We've got a new case and Caroline's in a tizzy. I'll shower first while you get some coffee brewing. Then, while you're getting ready, I'll log into the office network and see if I can find out a little more about what's going on."

* * *

Caroline was at the crime scene before Booth and Brennan arrived which was an indication of how important this particular investigation was to her. It wasn't unusual for Caroline to be involved during the investigation phase of a case, but she almost always provided her commentary and analysis from the cozy environs of the office. She did not like coming out into the field and she did not like witnessing messy crimes scenes first hand, especially when they were fresh. Photographs were bad enough in her opinion.

She'd just finished discussing with Murphy that this was a high profile case and telling him they needed to keep the press out of it as much as possible or there were some muckity-mucks above both their heads that were going to be mighty unhappy when she overheard part of a conversation between Daniels and Johnson, two FBI techs that were busily putting up crime scene tape.

"No way … she really said that?"

"Oh man, everyone in the bull pen heard it. Maxwell said it was funny as shit. They are definitely finally doin' the bedtime boogie."

"What'd he do?"

"He just glowered at her, you know the look I mean dude, and she just went right on talking about him being a sexual dynamo. Maxwell said the best part was the look on Sweets' face." He chuckled. "Priceless, dude."

Caroline couldn't care less if two FBI agents were hooking up, like it sounded like, but when it came to making fun of Dr. Sweets, she was a little like a mama bear with her cub.

"Don't you two FBI dandies have enough work to do to keep you from standing around gossiping like a bunch of teenage girls?" she snapped at them "Or, do I need to make sure you get some more?"

As they scurried away, she saw her favorite dynamic duo pulling up and looking for a place to park. Caroline would deny it categorically if anyone ever asked her, but she had a soft spot for Booth and Brennan. In her opinion, they epitomized what it meant to be good people. They were hard-working, dedicated individuals who pursued truth and justice with a fervor worthy of respect and they both had hearts of gold. Over the handful of years they'd been working together, she'd seen them both willing to sacrifice themselves to protect those they loved, especially when that came to one another. Caroline couldn't imagine two people more perfect for doing the no pants dance together and she hoped they'd eventually get their shit together and figure that out themselves.

Booth and Brennan arrived at the scene much quicker than Caroline had expected. He must've driven like a bat out of hell with his sirens blaring for at least part of the drive to make it from his apartment to Dr. Brennan's (which was in the opposite direction), then out to Reston in the time since she'd called him. As a criminal prosecutor, viewing day-to-day events along a timeline was second nature to her and something she now did automatically, without conscious thought. In the back of her mind, she recognized something seemed "hinky" about the timing here, but she was focused on other things right now, so let it go.

Watching Booth and his partner exit his SUV and start walking in her direction, she couldn't help but admire what a fine specimen of manly delight Booth was. Not for the first time, she marveled at Dr. Brennan's resistance to her big burly FBI partner's masculine charms. She found it almost comical that someone who was as much of a genius as Dr. Brennan clearly was could be such a complete idiot when it came to recognizing that she was in love with the fool. She thought back to the time a few Christmas's ago when she had coerced Dr. Brennan into giving Seeley a big 'ol kiss under some mistletoe. Dr. Brennan had put up a little resistance at first, but when it came time to set those steamboats to sail, she'd eyed Seeley Booth like he was her favorite Christmas pudding and dug in … quite enthusiastically. Caroline had had to excuse herself for some fresh air after watching that kiss.

Booth had been unsuccessful in learning anything worthwhile about the current situation when he logged in to the FBI network earlier, so he and Brennan were still unclear what they'd been called in to examine.

"Morning, Caroline. So, what's the situation?"

"Morning Cher, Chérie. Welcome to the humble home of one Mr. Ramone Sanchez, apparent kidnapper and murderer." All three team members turned in unison to look at the rather ordinary house in the middle of a rather ordinary middle class suburban neighborhood as she continued briefing them.

"One of our FBI teams that is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children got a tip late last night that Mr. Sanchez might not be the upstanding pillar of society all his friends and neighbors believe him to be. We sent in a FBI tactical team first thing this morning and wouldn't you know it, they discovered Mr. Sanchez had a house guest, except this particular house guest was locked in a room with one of her ankles chained to an eyebolt that was anchored to the floor. Fifteen year old Leah McKinley, favored niece to one of our US Senators and reported missing by her parents a little more than a week ago."

"So, Leah was rescued? And she's okay?" Booth questioned.

"Well, she's alive, which is the most important thing. Not sure that's the same as okay. She's obviously been traumatized and she may have been molested as well. She's been taken to the hospital for an examination and treatment of minor injuries. Cam's meeting her at the hospital to oversee the collection of any particulates or other evidence we may need. Murphy over there tried to get an initial statement from her, but she was pretty distraught and we ended up giving her a sedative to calm her down so we'll need to follow up with her again later."

"And Sanchez?"

"He's on his way to a holding cell at the Hoover building until you can get back there and interrogate him. I'm sure I wouldn't notice a thing if you were to flex your big burly muscles and intimidate the weasel a little during the process, but you did not hear me say that."

"If both the kidnapper and the victim are alive and identified, then why am I here?" Brennan asked.

"Did you not hear me describe Mr. Sanchez as a kidnapper AND murderer, Chérie? On the advice from our anonymous tip-off, we brought in Tutti, the cadaver dog, and we've got us three bodies buried in the backyard. The FBI techs have marked the locations, but I instructed them not to start excavating until your smiling face was here to oversee the process. I know how testy you get when someone messes with your remains. Now, I need you to go do your magic, figure out who's buried back there, and hopefully find me some evidence that conclusively links these other three victims to Mr. Sanchez."

Brennan nodded her head in understanding. "Alright. I'll go put my field suit on and grab my field kit from the back of the truck." She turned away and started walking towards the SUV, Booth right behind her with his hand on the small of her back, as usual. Wait … Did his hand just slide down and pat her on the bottom? Did Dr. Brennan just toss a flirty smile over her shoulder at him? Suddenly, the pieces fell into place … the bullpen hook-up that rattled Dr. Sweets …. the fact that Booth and Brennan got to the scene too quickly for her to have been at her place … and now this. Good Lord Almighty. If what Caroline suspected was true, she'd need her woolen mittens when she died as Hell must've finally frozen over.

* * *

**A/N: **_ As I wrote this chapter, I tried to put us inside Caroline's mind and get her perspective on some things. I'm curious as to how well people think I captured her character / opinions. Any comments?_

_Thanks for reading!_


	6. Chapter 6 - Max

**A/N:** _This fic was supposed to be complete, but I've had multiple requests to add a little more. It took a while for inspiration to hit, but I hope you'll enjoy this short chapter too._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination.

* * *

It was a clear, cloudless, and moonless night.

In the more remote parts of the world, whether that meant the wide open expanses of somewhere like Wyoming or the seemingly endless deserts of Africa, the nights were always darkest when the sky was blanketed with clouds, blocking out all light from the heavens and allowing creatures of the night to stealthily hide in the shadows undetected. But in the cities, clouds were often enemies of the darkness. They captured the light from the numerous man-made sources which never dimmed, even in the wee hours, and reflected that light back on the earth's surface, illuminating it's secrets. No. In the cities, it was the clear, cloudless, and moonless nights like this one that afforded the deepest and darkest shadows.

It was in one of these deep shadows, tucked between a small non-descript neighborhood bar with a sign made of neon lights hung over the door and a quiet laundromat, closed for several hours now, that two men were meeting in the middle of the night, out of sight to any prying eyes.

"What have you got for me tonight, Joe?"

"Not much, boss. She spent most of today at the lab. Left for a bit in the afternoon to run some errands, but returned in the evening so she could help her friends send off the body for that bloke that was killed the other day."

"Poor Vincent. Shame about what happened to him but I'm grateful she wasn't the target. Okay. That all?"

"Well . . . you know they arrested that sniper dude that was killin' folks today, right?"

"Yeah. She called me and told me about it after she got the basic outline of what happened at the shipping yard. Good riddance. Personally though, I wish Booth had killed the son of a bitch."

"So, with him behind bars, she shouldn't be in danger anymore, right?"

A quiet chuckle. "It seems Tempe is always finding some sort of danger to keep me awake at nights but no, the immediate threat should be gone."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. She went home with her partner again tonight after work."

"They do that a lot – spend the evenings together after work. They'll frequently grab dinner together, watch a movie, hang out, you know - unwind. They're friends as well as work partners. They went through a period when he was dating someone where they stopped hanging out as much, but since his ex took off, they've been gradually falling back into their old routine. What time did Tempe go home?"

"She didn't."

"Huh? It's three o'clock in the morning. You're saying she's still there?"

"She was still there when I took off to come meet you."

"Huh. Odd, but not unheard of. . . . Sometimes when one or the other of them is exhausted or if they drink a little too much when they unwind, they'll crash in the spare bedroom or on the couch for the night, depending on whose apartment they're at."

"Sure boss. If you say so."

For several moments, the silence in the alley between the buildings was unbroken except for the soft sounds the two men made breathing while the older of the two thought about the possible implications of this latest news.

"Hmm. I was planning to pull you off tailing her after tonight, you know, since they arrested Broadsky. But, tell you what. How about you go ahead and keep an eye on her for me for a couple more weeks? Can you do that?"

"No problem boss. I'll stay on it and we'll touch base here again same time, in two weeks unless something worth mentioning happens in the meanwhile."

On that note, the two men drifted off into the night, each quietly going their separate ways and leaving the shadows between the two buildings where they'd met holding nothing but darkness once more.

* * *

Max laid in a gurney bed at the hospital, waiting for the doctor to bring his discharge papers and letting his mind wander. _Getting old sucked_ was one of his first thoughts. He and Rosamund had simply been enjoying an energetic round of bed-sport and somehow they'd managed to roll out of the bed and end up here, at the hospital. How embarrassing. Max injured his hip and the doctor had sentenced him to a few weeks in a freakin' wheelchair coupled with physical therapy as a result. Rosamund had also been injured in the incident, breaking a rib either on impact with the ground or from Max landing on top of her, it wasn't clear to him which, but Max figured it probably signaled the end of his relationship with Rosamund.

He wasn't exactly torn up over it though. Rosamund was more of a dalliance really than a long-term relationship and truth be told, her sexual appetite was more than he could realistically keep up with, little blue pills or not, so the end had been looming anyway. After all, she was young enough to be his daughter – pretty close to Tempe's age in fact. A woman just entering her sexual prime. Which led to his next thought.

Tempe needed a man in her life. And not just any man, but one man in particular and Max wished there was some way he could make it happen.

Max wasn't quite sure what, if anything, to make of the information Joe had provided several nights ago about Tempe sleeping at Booth's place two nights in a row. The first night, after Vincent's death, hadn't been surprising. Max thought back on the conversation he'd had with Tempe that same afternoon.

"_Brennan," she'd answered her phone._

"_Tempe, honey. It's me, Dad."_

"_Hey Dad. What do you need?"_

Direct and to the point. That was his girl and Max responded in kind.

"_I don't want you alone tonight, honey. Not with this killer out there going after the people you work with. I'm coming over and I'm staying with you at your place until this joker is taken care of."_

"_Oh. Well, you're welcome to stay at my place but I won't be there. I'm sleeping with Booth."_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_I mean, I'm sleeping at Booth's apartment. He's not comfortable with me being alone either and while I'm confident I can take care of myself, I don't want him to worry. He needs to get his rest so he can pursue Broadsky with a clear head."_

It had been such a typical 'them' kind of arrangement. Both Booth and Brennan worrying about each other and doing what was required to protect one another while still maintaining they were just partners, doing their jobs. None the less, Booth was a good man and it eased Max's mind to know that he would be watching over Max's baby girl. Max knew his daughter was in love with the FBI agent and was cautiously optimistic that Booth would come around too someday soon, now that the reporter chick was no longer in the picture.

It was the second night Tempe stayed with Booth, the night after Broadsky was captured, that had Max wondering if maybe, just maybe, _someday soon_ was getting closer or had even finally arrived. For Tempe's sake, he hoped so.

* * *

About a week later, Max got pulled into one of Booth and Brennan's investigations when the victim in their case turned out to be someone unpopular from Max's bowling team. Max hadn't received another update from Joe yet about Tempe's comings and goings, but he watched the two partner's interactions closely and was fairly certain something between them had changed.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what was different though.

There were random little touches between Booth and Tempe which hinted at an intimacy shared. But, to a degree, there'd been random little touches like that between them for years.

There were stolen glances and heated looks when they thought no one was watching them. But again, they'd been stealing looks at one another and holding silent conversations together with their eyes for as long as Max had been back in Tempe's life so Max admitted he could be reading too much into what he was seeing.

Plus, they were undercover as a couple so some of the touches and glances _could_ be part of their act. Max didn't really believe Tempe was that good of an actress though.

No. After studying them most of the day, Max decided it was an absence of tension in Booth that felt the most different to him. They didn't bicker hardly at all and THAT was odd. Tempe still seemed wound a little tight around Booth, but Booth seemed more relaxed around her. It was subtle, but Max was pretty certain from the vibes he was getting that Booth was no longer fighting his attraction to his daughter. Of course, if they were finally sleeping together, he would've expected Tempe to be less tense too, so he wasn't certain exactly where things stood or why she seemed a little anxious.

Several times during the day, Max had deliberately given Booth looks to indicate he suspected something was up and while Booth had rolled his eyes and acted exasperated with Max, he hadn't actually denied anything. In the past, Booth was always quick to set Max straight. Max found that interesting.

The investigation was wrapped up quickly and before Max could invite Booth and Tempe out to dinner or for a drink where he could study them closer, they ran off to the hospital where Tempe's best friend, Angela, was in labor with her first child.

Max got his answers though the next night when he met with Joe again.

It was raining this time, so rather than hide in the shadows, the two men found a booth at the back of the bar and met there over a couple of cheap beers.

"So," Max started. "What have you got for me this time? Anything new?"

Joe looked around before sliding a large envelope across the table towards Max. "See for yourself."

Puzzled, Max pulled the envelope closer and opened it up, extracting about a dozen photographs from inside. His eyebrows shot up as he flipped through the pictures. Booth and Tempe standing next to her car in the garage at her apartment, lips locked together in what appeared to be a very unpartnerly kiss. Tempe sitting at a table at an outdoor café with her hand clutching Booth's tie right below the knot as she appeared to be pulling him towards her, a smile on her face that was pure carnal intent. Booth pressing Tempe against a wall in an alley with his body, his hand clearly slipped under her short skirt and resting high on her thigh as they kissed again.

"I guess this means she's still spending the night at his apartment then," Max stated.

"No. Well, I mean, not all the time. Sometimes he spends the night at her apartment," Joe clarified.

One by one, Max flipped through the pictures, a little surprised that Booth would cut loose enough in what were essentially semi-public settings to allow Joe to gather such compromising evidence that Booth and Tempe had definitely become intimately involved. A couple photos were damn near pornographic and not something a father should be seeing of his daughter, regardless of her age and his desire for her to be involved with the man in the pictures.

"I want the negatives too," Max demanded.

"Negatives are in the envelope."

Max paused, looking at the last picture in the pile. It was obviously taken just the night before as Booth and Tempe were still dressed in the clothes they'd worn while undercover at the bowling alley, minus their wigs. In the photo, Booth was standing on a street corner at night, his arms securely wrapped around Tempe's waist and her arms locked around his neck. Her feet were in the air and it looked like Booth was swinging her in a circle, both of them looking into the other's face with huge, rapturous grins. _Hmm. I wonder what that's about._

* * *

**A/N:** _Enjoy? Hope the beginning wasn't too confusing._


	7. Chapter 7 - Max Part II

**A/N:** _This chapter is for FaithinBones who wanted a little specific something more. Hope this satisfies her._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination.

* * *

It was a couple days later, as Booth and Brennan were having breakfast at the diner again, when Max's name just happened to come up casually in the course of conversation. At the mention of his name, Booth couldn't help but recollect the looks Max had given him during the murder investigation of Max's bowling teammate, Jeff Fowler. Looks that implied Max suspected something illicit was going on between Booth and Brennan.

Now, there's not a guy alive who looks forward to the first time they have to face the father of the woman they're sleeping with and openly acknowledge the physically intimate aspect of the relationship. But when that woman's father is Max? Well, Booth wouldn't go so far as to confess to being scared, but . . . c'mon, it was _Max_ – always unpredictable and willing to enforce his own vigilante form of justice if he deemed it necessary. Booth would be lying if he didn't admit to being a little uneasy over the prospect of Max discovering that he and Bones were having sex even though he was pretty sure Max was in favor of the relationship. Booth figured it was probably best to handle it like the removal of a Band-Aid, quick and all at once. He figured he and Bones should just come clean and let Max know that they were an item now before Max found out by some other nefarious means.

"You know, Bones, I was thinking. Maybe we should invite your father to dinner some night soon and let him know what's going on with us."

"What do you mean?" Brennan asked, perplexed by Booth's comment.

"I mean we should let him know that we're together and what's going on between us. After all, he's your father. He's family. It's what two people who are in a committed relationship do – they tell their families about the significant changes in their lives."

Brennan studied Booth for a moment while she thought about his comments. Then, deciding to defer to his judgment on this issue, she shrugged her shoulders and agreed. "Alright. I'll call him later this morning and see if he's available some night soon."

She was surprised by Booth's suggestion as she mistakenly thought he was proposing they tell Max about the pregnancy. However, they had previously discussed keeping that nugget of information to themselves until she was further along in her gestation cycle, partly due to the risks of miscarriage in the early months of pregnancy and partly to allow people time to adjust to the idea of Booth and Brennan entering into a monogamous committed relationship.

* * *

As it so happens, Max didn't have any plans or commitments the next evening, so Brennan invited Max and Booth over to her apartment for dinner. Booth was the first to arrive and, using the key Brennan had given him a long time ago for emergencies, he let himself into her home. Secretly, he got a little thrill from being allowed to do that – use his key to enter her apartment, knowing she'd be somewhere on the other side of the door ready and willing to welcome him. It just felt so right to him despite the fact that this degree of intimacy between them was still relatively new.

Booth wandered into the kitchen after hanging up his suit coat by the front door and found Brennan tossing the ingredients together for a salad to accompany the casserole she had baking in the oven. Booth came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in to him as he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her neck, right below her ear. "Hey, Bones. How was your day?"

"Hi," she answered with a smile, a feeling of happiness bubbling up inside her just from knowing he was there. "My day was fine and it's getting even better now."

Brennan turned around within his embrace and, looping her arms around his neck, pulled him down to welcome him properly. The kiss started gently, just a soft brushing of lips, but then she leaned into him a little more, increasing the pressure and her lips parted, inviting him to explore the recesses of her mouth more deeply. It didn't take long for the passion to escalate to where the partners were grasping each other tightly, pressing together from head to toe as though no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get close enough. Booth's hands slid down her back to her bottom and gripping the firm mounds, he pulled her pelvis tight against his, allowing her to feel his burgeoning erection and leaving no room for doubt about his desire for her.

Caught up in the frenzy of her hunger for him, Brennan wanted more and was reaching for the buttons on his shirt with one hand while the other hand slid to his waist and started to tug his shirt free from his pants when the unwelcome sound of knocking on her front door finally penetrated the haze of lust. Pulling away from Booth reluctantly, she moaned "Dad's here," her voice a little more breathy than normal.

Giving her hips another squeeze, Booth leaned down to plant a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "I'll get it," he said before letting her go and turning towards the entry foyer.

When Booth opened the door, it was obvious to Max that he'd interrupted something. The scientist in Max cataloged his observations almost unconsciously and noted the mussed hair, the slightly askew tie, the shirt that was partially untucked in the back, and the slowly dissipating tent in Booth's trousers.

"Max." Booth greeted him, opening the door fully and stepping back to give Max room to enter. "Good to see you again."

Max stepped into the hallway, allowing Booth to close the door behind him. "Hey, Booth. Tempe didn't mention you'd be here for dinner too." With a twinkle in his eye, he leaned closer to Booth like he was about to share a secret and whispered covertly. "You, ah, might want to wipe that lipstick off your mouth. It's not really your color." Then, with a wink and a smirk, he turned and walked deeper into the apartment in search of his daughter while Booth automatically raised a hand to wipe his lips, noting Max hadn't seemed surprised.

Walking in to the kitchen, Max approached Brennan and greeted her with a quick kiss on the cheek, her slightly flushed appearance and swollen lips all the evidence he needed to convince him that he was right about having interrupted them, but not feeling at all remorseful about it. "Hey, Honey. Thanks for the invitation to dinner. It smells delicious and I'm starving."

"Hi, Dad. I'm glad you could make it. I'm sorry for the short notice, but you know how erratic our schedules are," Brennan gestured to herself and Booth, "so it's difficult to schedule too far in advance anyway."

"Yeah. No problem, I understand. I'm just happy you called."

"Beer?" Booth asked as he approached the refrigerator. At Max's nod yes, Booth leaned in and grabbed a couple cold bottles, popping the tops off before handing one to Max.

"So. You two finally stopped pussyfooting around, eh?" Like his daughter, Max had the ability to be uncomfortably blunt sometimes and the question caught Booth off guard, causing him to choke slightly on the swig of beer he'd been in the process of swallowing.

"I don't know what you mean," Brennan responded, looking at her dad with her brows furrowed.

"Ah, he's commenting on the change in our relationship, Bones. That after all this time, we're finally taking a chance on us, together," Booth clarified for her once he caught his breath again.

"Oh," she said, nodding her head in understanding while gather the necessary cutlery for dinner from a drawer before stating matter-of-factly and with an enthusiastic grin "Yes. Booth and I are lovers now."

While he wasn't embarrassed or ashamed of his relationship with Bones, the plain spoken acknowledgement caused a heated flush to spread across Booth's face. He had imagined the explanation of their new relationship status happening a little more delicately but given who he was dealing with, he should have known better.

Max was genuinely pleased. He wanted his baby girl happy and settled and believed Booth was the right man for her. "Good. I'm happy for you both and as long as he treats you right, I won't have to kick his ass. Booth's a good man Tempe. You're in good hands."

With a sultry smirk, Brennan glanced over at Booth and responded in a voice a little huskier than usual and full of sexual innuendo. "Yes. I'm enjoying learning just how good those hands can be."

Mortified that she'd make a comment like _that_ to her father, Booth wished fervently for a hole to open up in the floor and swallow him. "Booones . . . ." he whined in complaint.

Max just smiled and chuckled softly, finding Booth's discomfort humorous and wanting to tease him a little more. "Well, as long as you learn to keep your clothes on when you visit the parks, I imagine you two will do fine."

At Max's words, Booth couldn't help but flashback to an event which occurred a little over a week ago.

_It was late. Booth and Brennan had met for dinner and drinks at the Founding Fathers and had decided to take a stroll through a nearby park before heading home since it was such a pleasant night outside. After about 15 minutes of wandering along the trail, hand-in-hand while they laughed and flirted with one another, they came to a picnic area along the shore of the Potomac River. The bright reflection of the waning moon sparkled off the water and the lights of the city could be seen twinkling in the background. Booth and Brennan stopped, pausing to sit at a picnic table and enjoy the quiet romanticism of the night. It wasn't long before she'd leaned in to him for a kiss. The ambiance of the enchanting evening combined with the quiet solitude of the empty park and one thing eventually led to another, their newly realized passion quickly spinning out of control. They made love right there on the picnic table under the stars. _

It was amazing and a memory Booth would cherish for a long time to come. Booth caught Brennan's eye and he could tell by the smile she gave him that she was pleasantly recollecting the same event.

Suddenly, like the proverbial lightbulb turning on, it occurred to Booth that Max _shouldn't_ know anything about that moment and if he didn't know about that moment, then his earlier comment made no sense, which, in a roundabout way, implied Max somehow _did_ know about that moment.

All of the embarrassment and awkwardness that Booth had been feeling since Max showed up disappeared, replaced by an unpleasant suspicion and a low simmering anger at what he suspected. Booth turned and glared at Max. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Max, recognizing he slipped, tried to back-pedal. "Oh, nothing particular. You know, it's just generally a good idea to keep your clothes on when you're in public places . . . like parks, movie theaters, restaurants. Places like that. Not that I think you wouldn't keep your clothes on. I'm just saying . . . That's all."

One of Booth's finely honed investigatory skills was the ability to read people and despite Max's skill as a con-man, Booth was certain he was lying. "Damn it, Max. Have you been following us? Spying on us?"

Confused by the sudden mood change, Brennan found herself looking back and forth between Booth and her father. "Dad? Are you?"

"What? No, Honey. Of course not," Max defended, setting his beer bottle down on the counter.

Booth stepped up close into Max's personal space, his eyes flashing with anger. "You son-of-a-bitch. I don't believe you, dammit, and so help me God, you better come clean with us right now before I knock you on your ass and put you back in that damn wheelchair you just got out of. Permanently."

"Okay, okay," Max raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, deciding it would be best to just admit to having Tempe tailed. "I swear, I'm not following you or spying on you."

Booth's fists clenched and he let out a low growl, stepping almost impossibly closer to Max.

"I'm not, I promise, but . . . when, uh, that Broadsky fellow was out there, on the loose and killing people that work with you two, well . . . I arranged to have an associate of mine keep an eye on Tempe from a distance. That's all."

"Dad," Brennan complained. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. After all, I've been doing it since I was fifteen."

"I know, Tempe. But I was worried and needed to do _something_ for my own peace of mind. I'd have probably gone after Broadsky myself if I'd known where to find him."

Still angry, Booth pressed for more. "How'd you know about the park? That was probably a week after Broadsky was arrested. Is she still being followed? Is he giving you a blow-by-blow update on everything she does?"

"Uh, no. No. He kept up his surveillance for a bit even after Broadsky was arrested, but I pulled him off after the bowling team investigation. However, when he was watching over her, uh, he took a few photos. Of Tempe. And you." Max coughed to clear his throat. "Together," he admitted guiltily.

"Dad! Really?" Brennan chastised at the same time that Booth exclaimed "Photos? Shit."

Booth had to turn away from Max and take a couple deep breaths to prevent himself from striking the older man in anger, something he tried hard never to do.

On one hand, Booth was really pissed at the thought that someone had been tailing him and Bones the last couple weeks _and taking photos_. God only knows what was captured in those pictures. On the other hand, he completely understood where Max was coming from. Ever since they first met, Booth had always felt a nearly overwhelming urge to protect Bones. But, now? Since they'd become intimate and knowing that she was carrying his child? He could easily appreciate Max's desire to protect her at any cost, even if that meant acting irrationally.

Turning back around, Booth looked Max right in the eye and laid down the law. "Fuck! From now on, you back off. Got it Max? I mean it. If Bones needs protection, I'll be the one to provide it. You got a problem with that, you take it up with me directly. I find out you're pulling this shit again, and I will shoot you. Understood?"

Brennan's eyebrows shot up at such a male dominant response and she couldn't decide whether she was offended by his presumption or just really turned on by his alpha male posturing. She was leaning towards the latter.

"I want those photos too, Max." Booth declared next.

Sensing the worst of the storm had passed and the tension in the room was easing, Max picked up his beer bottle again and responded "There were only a handful and I destroyed them. I don't want pictures of my baby girl in a compromising position floating around anymore than you do."

"You destroyed them all? Negatives too?" Booth queried.

"Yes. Well, except one, but it's not inappropriate and I'm keeping it. It just shows two happy people embracing and I like it." Max explained describing the last picture in the bunch, taken after the bowling case, when Booth had picked up Brennan and spun her around as they smiled at each other.

"Oh," Brennan said, placing her hand on Booth's arm. "That sounds like it was taken right after I told you I was pregnant and that you're the father."

Max barely felt the beer bottle slip from his fingers or heard the shattering of glass on the ground as Brennan's announcement left him completely stunned.

* * *

**A/N:** _Like it? To keep in with the theme of this fic, I needed to "reveal" something . . . ._


	8. Chapter 8 - Pops

**A/N:** _The requests for more keep coming and the muse is somewhat cooperating. This one is for Sillygyrl8. The tone's a little different but I hope she likes it anyway._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination.

* * *

Henry "Hank" Booth, a.k.a. "Pops", sat on the park bench watching his grandson spinning his great-grandson and a handful of other children on the old metal disk carousel at the edge of the playground. As the colorfully painted roundabout spun on its center axis, Seeley would grab the hand bars and give the carousel another push, providing the children a dizzying ride. The sounds of their laughing and cries for "more" and "faster" floated on the air eliciting a feeling of nostalgia for simpler times in Hank.

It was a beautiful day to spend at the park. The sun was shining in the clear blue skies, the birds were singing in the trees, and the heat and humidity that could be a little oppressive during the summer time in Washington DC hadn't yet made an appearance this season. Hank closed his eyes and felt the sun's warmth soaking into his tired old body while a gentle breeze, just enough to keep him cool, caressed his skin. It was perfect.

When Seeley had phoned him that morning asking if he'd like to spend part of the day with him and Parker, accompanying them on a picnic, Hank had jumped at the opportunity, always grateful to get a little change of scenery from the retirement home where he spent the majority of his time these days. So far, there'd been no signs of the anticipated picnic basket or blanket, but Hank wasn't too worried. He knew his boys wouldn't miss an opportunity to eat, so he was confident he'd be fed eventually.

Noticing that one of the little girls on the carousel was starting to look a little peaked, the continual spinning and whirling getting to be a bit too much for her, Booth stepped back from the toy and let it slow down naturally to where the children could easily jump on or off as they desired.

"Parks, I'm gonna go sit and visit with Pops for a bit."

"Aw, Dad. Can't you spin us some more?" Parker whined.

Shaking his head and smiling at his son's predictable complaint, Booth told him no. "Not right now, son. I think everyone could use a little break from the fast whirling for a bit so why don't you go play on the swings for a while? Maybe later I can spin you some more."

"Okay. Thanks Dad." Parker jumped off the carousel and invited one of the other boys who'd been riding it with him to go play on the swings together, easily making a new friend to play with for a bit.

Hank opened his eyes and watched as Booth approached his bench. He couldn't resist the swell of pride at the man Seeley had grown into – strong, loving, and dependable – and he liked to think that maybe, in some small way, he'd helped contribute to that outcome. Booth plopped down on the bench next to his grandfather, sitting forward so he could rest his elbows on his jean-clad knees, hands loosely twined together as he watched Parker and his new friend competing to see who could go highest on the swings.

"You're a good father, Seeley." Hank proclaimed, the admiration evident in his voice.

Booth glanced over at Hank and shrugged his shoulders dismissively before turning back to watch the action on the playground. "Rebecca deserves most of the credit. Parker spends ninety percent of his time in her care, so she's had the most influence on him."

Hank could hear the tint of bitterness and regret in Booth's response which seemed at odds with the soft, satisfied smile that appeared on his face shortly thereafter. Hank had no way of knowing that at the mention of fatherhood, Booth's thoughts had drifted to Bones and the baby she now carried. _His_ baby. He was still over the moon happy about her announcement that they were going to be parents, together. Booth was planning to be there every day for his second child and he couldn't wait to experience all the little surprises, good and bad, that he'd been denied the opportunity to share in with Parker's upbringing.

"Don't sell yourself too short," Hank admonished. "You're a good role model and that little boy over there, he idolizes you. You may not get to spend nearly as much time with him as you would like, but you make the most of the time you have and you've made an impact on him, sure as I'm sitting here. He sees enough of you to understand your core values and he shares many of those values. He's a good kid."

Booth nodded. "Thanks, Pops."

They sat in silence together for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts until Hank gave out a big sigh. "If I could have one more wish come true before I die, I'd wish for you to have a family of your own."

Frowning, Booth looked at Pops. "What do you mean? A. You're not about to die anytime soon and B. I have a family. I have you, Parker, Jared . . Bones."

"I won't be around for forever, and that's not what I'm talking about anyway. You are the quintessential family man, Seeley. It's in your basic nature to nurture and protect and you won't ever be truly happy, in here . . ." Hank placed his hand over his heart, ". . until you have a family of your own. I'm talking about a woman to share your life with, son. Someone you can focus all that love and devotion and loyalty on. Someone you can safeguard and take care of and who makes you feel like a man and who loves you back just as fiercely as you love her, for no other reason than because of who you are. If you're lucky and don't take too long, maybe you can even add a few more babies into the mix too."

Recognizing that this was an opportune time to tell Pops about the change in status of his relationship with Bones, which was part of why Booth had invited Pops out this morning, Booth started to respond. "Yeah, Pops. Um, about that . . . "

Hank interrupted before Booth could get very far. "Don't let what happened with that Hannah woman ruin your chance for happiness, Shrimp. She wasn't the right one for you and you know it. If you ask me, you were more upset about the relationship itself failing than you were about losing her specifically. It's been long enough now for you to mourn that loss and move on. You're not still pining after her are you?"

"No, of course not, but . . "

"I didn't think so. I told you Rebecca was a waste of time and I told you Hannah wasn't right for you either. I also told you who I think _is_ right for you. Still do and while I know you gave me some cockamamie story about Temperance not being interested in you, I think you're a blind fool as anyone with eyes in their head can see that she's sweet on you. Whatever happened between you two before, you must not have tried very hard because I'm telling you, she's perfect for you. You should listen to me you know."

"Your right, Pops. You're right. She is perfect for me. I plan to spend every day for the rest of my life letting her know it too," Booth responded with confident determination.

Surprised, but happy, Hank exclaimed "Well, I'll be damned. You finally persuaded her to be your sweetheart, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I finally did. And you know what, Pops? You were right. When you finally find the _right_ woman, you can tell deep inside. Although I don't know exactly how to explain it, it's different somehow. More intense, more happiness, more laughter, more love. Everything is just . . . more. It's like a puzzle piece that finally fell into place."

"Humph. Well, Shrimp, why isn't she here with you today?"

"She will be, Pops. Bones had to take care of a couple things at the lab this morning and she wanted to give you and me a chance to talk a bit, but she should be joining us shortly." Leaning towards Hank with a conspiratorial wink, Booth added "She better come soon too as she's bringing our lunch."

Hank laughed at that, pleased to see his grandson so obviously happy and clapped Booth on the shoulder affectionately. "You know, I bet you and Temperance would make beautiful babies together too."

A big grin split Booth's face. "Yeah."

Hank knew it wasn't really his place to probe too much and he didn't want to make Seeley feel like he was being pressured, but his grandson was being more relaxed and open about discussing his relationship than Hank usually experienced with Booth, so he went ahead and pushed a little further. "Oh? So, is it something you two have actually discussed already? Is Temperance interested in having children some day?"

Nodding his head, a smile still clinging to his lips, Booth answered. "Yeah. At least one, that's for sure."

Hank studied Booth for a moment, then started to chuckle when he realized _at least one_ was already on the way. "Son of a gun. You little scoundrel. You sure didn't let the grass grow under your feet on that one, did you?"

"It's still early days yet. Bones is only a few weeks along, so we're not really telling people about it yet. Parker doesn't know and we probably won't tell him for a while longer so, if you don't mind, let's keep this intel between us for now, okay Pops?"

"Sure, Shrimp. Whatever you say."

Brennan showed up a little later, laden down with an assortment of breads, cheeses, cold pasta, fruit, cold cuts, cookies, and lemonade, all of which were duly appreciated and promptly devoured by the three generations of Booth men.

At his age, much of Hank's time was spent sitting back and watching things happening around him and that's how he spent the next few hours. He watched Seeley and Temperance together, seeing the comfortable intimacy in the way they stood closely beside one another or the way they unconsciously reached out to touch each other time and again during lunch. He'd seen the sweet, albeit short, greeting kiss Seeley gave Temperance when she first arrived and he could only imagine the deeper, less chaste kiss she'd undoubtedly bestowed back on him when Hank saw her pull Seeley behind a stand of trees for several minutes a little while later. He watched Temperance with Parker, her natural maternal instincts evident as she interacted with the youngster who so obviously adored her. He pretended not to notice the few times he saw Booth's hands discreetly stray to parts of Temperance's body that only a lover's hands could get away with straying to. She certainly hadn't seemed to mind it.

Hank Booth leaned back against the back of his park bench and closed his eyes again, once more relaxing and relishing the feel of the sun soaking into his bones. Yep, today had definitely been a beautiful day for a picnic and Hank couldn't think of anything that would have made it a more perfect day.

* * *

**A/N:** _Enjoy it?_


	9. Chapter 9 - Squints

**A/N:** _Well, the support for this story has been amazing and so . . . it continues. This "reveal" is in response to suggestions from JAG'ed Bones in the Casket, Sillygyrl8, SBX MomX, and that oh so prolific reviewer, Guest. Hope it continues to entertain._

**A/N 2:**_ There are a number of really GREAT micro-fics being written right now thanks to the Bonesology Hiatus challenge. This isn't one of them - I felt loquacious and got a little carried away, the end result not looking anything like what I set out to write. Every time I sat down at the computer, the words that appeared on the screen bore little resemblance to what I intended starting out. Go figure. Thought I'd share anyway. So, grab your popcorn and beverage of choice . . . _

_. . . And, as a gentle reminder, this story (including this chapter) is rated M._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination.

* * *

**THURSDAY, NOONISH**

Daisy Wick entered the cafeteria in the Student Center at American University and spotted two of her fellow classmates and colleagues from the Jeffersonian Institute, Wendell Bray and Colin Fisher, already seated together at a table which looked over the courtyard below. Heading their way, pony tail bouncing behind her, she approached their table and plopped her heavy books down on top with an exaggerated _thump_ next to an empty seat before collapsing into it.

Most of the interns that helped out in the Medico-Legal lab at the Jeffersonian were graduate students at the university and somewhere along the way, they had also become friends of sorts. Unlike many of their other classmates, the interns felt united by their common cause – the pursuit of justice for those who fall victim to life's unexpected cruelty. Because of the intern shift rotation system at the lab, they rarely actually worked together at the same time but they'd all had first-hand exposure to the ugly consequences resulting from people hurting other people. That common ground made them feel bonded together in a way not everyone else could appreciate.

On top of that, the interns extended interaction with the esteemed Dr. Temperance Brennan left many of their classmates envious. Dr. Brennan was irrefutably a favorite teacher for all the students. Her lectures were exciting, often incorporating personal stories of her own travels and adventures into the oration, and she was well reputed as a patient yet thorough mentor to those who managed to capture her attention. The biggest complaint from most of the university's students was that they wished she was a full time Professor and not just a part-time visiting consultant. However, the college was willing to take what it could get, recognizing how sought after she was, her precious time already divided amongst several careers.

Dr. Brennan's interns were viewed as the crème de la crème by their classmates and their unsolicited elite status was yet another reason they tended to gravitate together in the academic environment.

"Uuugh," Daisy moaned loudly and with enthusiasm towards her two companions. "I have _so_ much homework to do this week for my ANTH-635 class on Race, Gender, and Social Justice and the Professor assigned Billy Mitchem as my partner for a report we have to do by the end of the month. Can you believe that? Billy-worthless-Mitchem."

Looking at her with sympathy in his eyes, Wendell tried to offer her a little comfort. "C'mon, Daisy. Billy's not _all_ bad. Once you get past the fact that he only showers about once a week and he lacks much in the way of personal motivation, he usually does okay. You just need to prod him and guide his efforts a little more than most other folks. That's all."

Daisy just rolled her eyes and snorted while pulling her lunch bag out of her back pack. "Really, Wendell? You are welcome to work with him instead of me then."

"In his own unique way, Billy's actually quite impressive," Fisher chimed in. "Everyone knows he's only in graduate school so he can continue to party on his father's dime without having to earn his own way. You almost have to admire the way he always seems to be perfectly balanced on the cusp between academic achievement and abysmal failure."

"He's not even cute," Daisy whined. "At least if he was hot, I could entertain myself with some good fantasies while we're working together, but Billy just gives me the heebie-jeebies." Sighing at her misfortune, she found herself musing out loud. "I wonder what it would have been like to be partnered with Dr. Brennan back when she was a student in school."

Wendell looked at Daisy over the top of his roast beef sandwich as though she were completely insane for sounding like the idea appealed to her. "Uh, terrifying and humiliating is what it would have been like. There's no way I would've wanted to partner with Dr. B. No sirree. I bet she was an absolute perfectionist with no tolerance for slip-ups."

"But she's sooo smart and she's always encouraging us to contribute our own thoughts and opinions, regardless of whether they're accurate."

"Yeah." Wendell nodded his head in acknowledgement. "But that's because she sees herself as our superior with respect to osteology and she doesn't expect us to be able to perform at the same level she does. In school though? As a peer? I dunno. I think she would've been pretty hard to work with. Kinda like how she eviscerated that Canadian dude that was in to feet not that long ago."

Fisher, who'd been quiet up to this point, jumped in with his own two cents. "If I had been assigned a project partner that was as brilliant and accomplished as Dr. Brennan was even as a student, I imagine I would've felt like even more of an abject failure than I often already do. I probably would've ended up slitting my wrists since being held in contrast to such prodigiousness would only highlight my own lack of accomplishments."

"Hmm. Maybe," Daisy conceded, "but I still think it would've been fun. She was so amazing to be around when we were in the Maluku's. Certainly a lot better than Billy Mitchem. Oh, and speaking of Dr. Brennan, have either of you two noticed anything different about her lately?"

Fisher cocked his head at her questioningly while Wendell asked "What do you mean?"

Daisy leaned forward excitedly. "I'm fairly convinced she's sexually involved with someone." She saw the eyebrows on both faces opposite her shoot up. "I'm serious. One afternoon last week, when we were working together at the lab, I was standing right next to her in one of the bone examination rooms and I had to lean pretty close to her to look at a mark she pointed out to me on the tibia we were examining. I swear, she smelled like sex."

"She probably slept on her couch after working all night like she does sometimes and just smelled a little stale," Wendell offered as a more probable explanation.

"No. Uh uh. I'm not buying it. I spent seven months in the jungle with that woman and believe me, I know what she smells like when she's sweaty or a little stale. Nope. My olfactory senses are quite proficient. I know what sex smells like and she smelled like sex. If she were anyone else, I would've assumed they'd just come back from a quickie somewhere illicit at lunchtime but . . . c'mon, we're talking about Dr. Brennan here. Besides, she's always with Agent Booth for lunch these days."

"Huh."

"What's that supposed to mean, Fisher?"

"Well, I went in to her office to talk to her earlier this week and you know how she keeps a little tablet of 3x3 paper on her desk for jotting down quick notes or phone messages or the like?"

Both Daisy and Wendell nodded their heads, knowing exactly what Fisher was referring to. "Yeah. So? What about it?" Wendell asked.

"The top piece had been doodled on and was covered in a bunch hearts, all different sizes and each decorated a little differently. However, each one had a capital 'B' in the middle.

Fisher thought back to that afternoon. He had sought out Dr. Brennan in her office with a question he had about an anomaly he had noticed on one of the x-rays he was examining when he had glanced down and seen the frivolously decorated little piece of paper. It seemed so out of place in the immaculate, professional environment that Fisher was momentarily distracted and lost track of his train of thought, leaving his question to Dr. Brennan hanging, incomplete.

Dr. Brennan caught him staring at the doodles slack jawed and she'd smiled sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders unapologetically as a rosy hue covered her cheeks and simply said "I know. It's incredibly silly isn't it?" But her eyes had sparkled with happiness and she'd looked down at that same scrap of paper like it was a precious treasure, reaching out and touching it gently with just the tip of her finger . . . chewing on her bottom lip while her gaze drifted off unfocused for a moment. Just for a moment though. Then she'd snapped back and been all business asking him about what had brought him to her office.

Fisher continued. "I just assumed the 'B' was for Brennan, but maybe there's a Bob or a Bart. Could be a Bradley or a Bruce . . . even a Betty? How hot would that be?" The thought of a little girl-on-girl action always somewhere in the top five on his mental list of things which could bring a smile to his face.

"Oh . . . My . . . God." Daisy's eyes just about popped out of her head and she bounced up and down in her seat, bubbling over with excitement. "I bet the 'B' is for Agent Booth! That has to be it, don't you think? They seem like they're together again _all_ the time now so I can't imagine when either one of them would have the opportunity to engage in physical relations with anyone else. What do you think? Oh, this is so amazing. Do you think they really finally _did it_?" She couldn't contain the small squeal of delight that escaped at the thought of her idol finally finding true love.

"Well, that would explain a few things about Agent Booth," Wendell chimed in, nodding his head. "He's definitely sleeping with someone based on the marks I saw on his body in the locker room after hockey practice on Monday night."

_* FLASHBACK *_

_After almost two hours of a brutal practice where the team captain had driven the players to their limits, he finally called it quits and told everyone to hit the showers. Wendell and another teammate stayed behind on the ice to put away the hockey goal nets, make a quick pass over the ice in the Zamboni, and then shut down the rink's overhead lights before catching up to the others. _

_By the time Wendell entered the locker room, most of the guys were finishing up their showers and heading back towards the main locker areas to change into their street clothes. He could hear several of his teammates hollering back and forth, taunting some poor bastard on the team in good natured fun, accompanied by lots of laughter._

_PAUL: "Do you call her kitten too? Does she purrrrr for you? Mmreooww."_

_DAVE: "You're kidding right? With scratches like that, he'd have to call her Tiger. I bet she roars instead of purrs."_

_PAUL: "Ha. Tiger. You're probably right about that Dave. Just look at those bite marks too. Impressive, Booth. Veeery impressive."_

_BOOTH: "Fuck-off, asshole. You're just jealous."_

_MIKE: "Hell yeah we're jealous. Tell me - does she have a sister you can hook me up with? If not, I want her phone number when you're done with her."_

_BOOTH: "Not gonna happen Mikey-boy. Not gonna happen. Not in this lifetime anyway."_

_PAUL: "Is she marked up as good as you there, stud?"_

_BOOTH: "Bite me, man. A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."_

_DAVE: "Maybe not, but I'd put my money on the odds that she's got a few marks of her own too. Our boy Booth here seems like the kind of guy who marks his territory."_

_MIKE: "As long as he resists the urge to pee on her furniture . . . "_

_Wendell rounded the corner just in time to see Booth cuff Mike playfully on the back of his head and immediately understood what all the harassment was about. Booth stood in front of his open locker wearing nothing but a towel knotted low around his hips. On each side of his spine were a couple of almost perfectly symmetrical scratches ending with little crescent shaped divots towards the small of his back. Fingernail marks. No doubt about it. One, maybe two days old from the looks of them. It didn't take a whole lot of creative imagination to figure out how Booth got those – just a dirty mind. Who he got them from was the only mystery._

_Booth was smiling as he organized his gear in his locker, letting his skin cool a little more from the work-out and the hot shower before bothering to put his clothes on. This kind of ribbing was just standard guy locker-room trash talk. Wendell figured Booth had to have known the guys would poke fun at him even before he started to take off his clothes and it didn't seem to be bothering him in the least. At least, not until Wendell showed up._

_DAVE: "Hey Bray. There you are. You're part of Booth's crime solving menagerie. Any idea who the new sweetheart with claws and fangs is? Booth's being closed mouthed."_

_MIKE: "He's the only one though. She obviously wasn't."_

_The guys had all sniggered and whooped at that. All but Agent Booth, whose good humor seemed to disappear at the mention of Wendell's name. Booth spun around and gave Wendell a direct, no-nonsense, hard look, pinning him in place with the intensity of his focus._

_BOOTH: "Not a word, Wendell. Not a single fucking word if you know what's good for you."_

_Caught off-guard by Booth's sudden aggression, Wendell held his hands up in surrender, trying to act cool and not stare at the smattering of love bites visible on Booth's chest now that he'd turned to face Wendell. Wendell made an effort to keep his eyes focused on Booth's face until he was close enough to his own locker that he could turn and face that instead, but he couldn't help noticing at least three distinct hickeys on Booth's torso. Could've been more. He really, really attempted not to notice. _

_WENDELL: "Hey man. I don't know anything about anything."_

_BOOTH: "Good answer, Wendell. Good answer."_

_Wendell was a little hurt and confused as to why Agent Booth had snapped at him when he'd been laughing along with the razzing from his teammates just seconds before. He stripped out of his practice gear and gathered his shower supplies trying to make a hasty escape, but he wasn't quick enough to miss Booth dropping his towel and exposing yet another hickey just above his left ass cheek. _

_* END FLASHBACK *_

"Booth had marks? You mean like hickeys?" Daisy practically squealed, "And you didn't tell us about it?"

"Hey. Not my place, okay? Booth's a big boy and entitled to his privacy." Wendell's lips twisted up in a little smirk. "Besides, he's an ex-Army Ranger, decorated sniper, and agent for the FBI. I sure as hell don't want to get on his bad side by spreading gossip about him."

"I dunno. It's kind of like when you first learned that your parents have sex," Fisher concluded, shaking his head gently from side to side. "I can't decide whether to be really happy for them or just freaked out about the whole thing."

Daisy looked at the two guys she was sharing her lunch with. "Well, we'll all have to pay closer attention now and try to find out if we're right. Tomorrow's pay day. Do either of you want to ride with me to the Jeffersonian after our ANTH-542 class in the afternoon to pick up our paychecks and see if we can gather any evidence to verify our suspicions? I bet if Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth are finally twisting the sheets, Angela will know something about it."

The two guys looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "Sure. Why not?"

* * *

**FRIDAY, EARLY MORNING**

It was the smell of coffee that finally penetrated through the veil of slumber and brought Seeley Booth to consciousness. Not just any coffee either, but _Bones_ _coffee_. Freshly ground from good quality imported beans. None of that freeze-dried instant crap he has to drink at work every day. _Bones coffee_ was in a class all on its own and Booth was getting as addicted to it as he was to the lady who supplied it.

Booth stretched out his arm and felt nothing but cool sheets beneath his hands where his partner's warm, curvy body should've been. Preferably still naked.

Ah, well. He'd always known Bones didn't sleep as many hours as the rest of the mere mortals in the world, but he'd never fully appreciated what that meant until they started spending their nights together. Since they usually fell into bed together at the end of the day, Bones woke before him most mornings. Sometimes, like this morning, she'd get up and putter in another room but more often than not, she'd stay in the bed beside him and read or work on her laptop. Sometimes she'd simply lay beside him and study him while he slept. His personal favorites, however, were the mornings she woke him early, her dexterous hands or her luscious mouth calling him forth from his sleep in the most delightful ways.

He cracked one eye enough to check the time on the bedside clock and saw it was not yet 6:30.

Good. No need to rush.

Booth rolled over on to his back and folded his arms behind his head, enjoying the feel of Brennan's luxury bed sheets against his skin. 100% pure Egyptian cotton in a sateen weave she'd told him. Egyptian cotton even though the sheets themselves were imported from Italy. Whatever. He hadn't paid a whole lot of attention to that particular lecture, but he still loved the decadent feel of the expensive material sliding over their bodies.

Tomorrow was the weekend and it was Booth's goal to continue teaching Bones the merits of starting each day on the weekend with lazy mornings in bed. He smiled in wicked anticipation as he thought about his plan to get her to sleep in tomorrow, feeling his body start to hum with arousal. See, Booth had a theory. Maybe _hypothesis_ would be a better word for it as in his own way, he was running experiments and gathering data to confirm it. He wouldn't tell Bones about it though. It was his secret, at least for now.

His hypothesis went like this: When they first got together, Bones had told him she usually only needs about five hours of sleep each night. After that, her brain starts churning again and invariably wakes her up. But, since they'd become lovers, Booth had noticed there seemed to be a correlation between how long she slept in the morning and the number of orgasms he'd given her the night before. He needed more data to get the formula just right. But, based on the last few weeks together, he'd formulated a theory that the intense, body-clenching, nail-scratching, name-hollering, spots-dancing-before-your-eyes type orgasms were good for about one extra hour of sleep while the softer, muscles-fluttering, brain-stalling, moan or gasp type orgasms were only good for about another half-hour of sleep.

So far, Bones had slept at least six hours every night since they'd been together. Often longer.

Feeling cocky, Booth proudly recalled that last weekend, she'd slept a record nine hours in one night. She'd been astounded the next morning, commenting on the novelty of it several times. Nine. Hours. Oh yeah. He'd been really good. Either that or really good at being really bad. One of the two.

He let one of his hands slip beneath the sheets so he could stroke himself while he recalled that night, absentmindedly alternating between massaging his balls and rubbing or tugging along the shaft of his cock. She'd shared with him some of her favorite fantasies. Fantasies of them. Together.

She'd surprised him too. The variety. The detail. How far back in time they spanned. But mostly, the softly spoken words she'd woven around him had kept him hard as steel long enough to deliver her to bliss over and over again. Yowza! They'd been pretty wild that night, he thought with satisfaction, touching one of the marks she'd left on his pectorals which was barely visible any longer.

Bones didn't know it, but this weekend, he was going to share some of _his_ favorite fantasies with her. He couldn't wait to see her eyes turn molten or to hear that little hitch in her breath that usually followed any comments he made about how sexy he thought she was, how much she turned him on. He rolled his thumb over his glans and felt the moisture pearled there at the tip as he thought about where to start his story-telling. He had so many fantasies to pull from and a host of images flashed through his mind like a silent slideshow in a porno peeping booth.

He laid there enjoying his own touch combined with what his imagination conjured up for several minutes before his sixth sense suddenly kicked in and Booth realized he was no longer alone. Opening his eyes, he saw Bones lounging in the doorway, watching him touching himself, and he startled like a guilty adolescent, immediately pulling his hand away from his privates. Putting both hands on the mattress by his hips, he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Bones. I was . . . ah, just . . . ah"

"I know exactly what you were just . . . ah" she said, giving him a knowing, teasing smile. "Feeling neglected were we?" She could see the deep red flush that burned across his cheeks and the stiffness that overcame his muscles and realized that he was incredibly embarrassed. That wasn't the effect she was after and, in her own way, she tried to let him know that she didn't mind what he'd been doing. "You don't need to stop because of me," she encouraged, her voice falling into that low sultry tone that drove him wild.

Booth's eyes snapped to her in astonishment. "What? No way . . . I can't . . . not with you . . . in the same room?" He shook his head vigorously. "Just . . . no."

"Why not? I'd like to watch."

"Booones." The look of horror on Booth's face was priceless and Brennan found herself unable to hold back her smile or a chuckle.

"Really, Booth. It's perfectly natural to masturbate and incredibly sexy to watch. Haven't you ever masturbated in front of a lover before?"

"No! God no."

Brennan studied him for a moment while Booth averted his eyes and tried not to squirm. Looking at her standing in the doorway in that short little silky wrap-around thing she used as an excuse for a robe which did nothing to hide her long, slender legs or her hard, pebbled nipples was not helping his erection settle down.

"I told you last week about some of the fantasies I've had about us before. Do you recall that?"

_Was she freaking kidding him? He'd thought of little else?_ "Yeah, of course."

"What do you think I was doing when I was having those fantasies, Booth?"

Booth swallowed. His eyes flicked to her hands, then to the knot on her robe, and lower, to the V of her thighs.

"That's right," she stated softly. Seductively. "I masturbated. I'd touch myself and bring myself to orgasm while I thought about you, Booth. Your hands, your mouth, or your cock." She watched his eyes follow her right hand as she slid it down over her abdomen then a little lower, teasing the hem with her fingers and measuring his arousal by the rise and fall of his chest with his breaths. "But you already knew that, didn't you? Surely it's what you assumed when I told you that I'd had sexual fantasies, isn't it?"

Booth slowly nodded his head in confirmation, the ability for speech seeming to have vanished momentarily as he watched her leave her post in the doorway and start to approach him in the bed, captivated by the graceful sway and roll of her hips as she walked.

"And since last weekend? Since you learned about my fantasies? Have you thought at all about me pleasuring myself while I'm thinking of you? Pictured it in your mind?"

His whispered "well, yeah" was barely audible, but that didn't matter. Standing right beside the bed now, she could read the truth just as easily in the way his eyes were dilated and by how he licked his lips hungrily as he gazed at her.

Brennan lifted one knee onto the bed, causing the bottom portion of her robe to fall open enough to expose the soft curls at the juncture of her thighs, confirming for Booth that she didn't have anything on underneath her robe. She rested one hand high on her inner thigh, right beside her mons. Not touching her pubic area, but alluding to how easily she could.

"Do you find it arousing to think of me touching myself while I'm thinking about you Booth?"

"God yes, Bones," he answered truthfully. "It makes me hard as nails. Right now, I think I could cum without even touching myself."

"Seeing you touching yourself and knowing your thinking about me is just as much of a turn on for me." She shifted slightly, spreading her legs a bit more. "Touch me now, Booth. See how wet I am just from watching you fondling yourself."

Mesmerized by her voice, Booth lifted a hand and slowly slid one finger deep into her folds, measuring her response. Slick moisture coated his finger as she moaned and shuddered beneath his touch.

"Understand now?"

Again, Booth nodded while adding a second finger to his explorations. Her soft mewl and the cream on his fingers eliminating any remaining doubts he may have had about just how watching him had affected her.

Brennan untied the knot in her robe and let it fall to the floor behind her as she lifted the sheets and crawled fully onto the bed, straddling Booth's lap and sliding him into her heated channel without hesitation.

"Someday soon . . ." she whispered in that low husky voice, ". . . when you're ready, I want to watch you masturbate for me and, if you want, I'll return the favor for you."

Booth moaned at the mental image she created as she started to move over him. "Not today though?"

"No. Not today. At the moment I want to feel you inside me, not me."

When they were done and Brennan lay sprawled across Booth's chest, their skin glued together by their cooling perspiration, she placed a gentle kiss to his sternum. "By the way, I came in here to wish you happy anniversary." Booth looked down at her and she smiled up at him. "It was one month ago today that I woke up in your bed for the first time."

"It's the first month of many, many more to come Bones."

"I certainly hope so."

"You'll see. You and me, we're perfect together. This is just the beginning for us."

* * *

**FRIDAY, AFTERNOON**

Daisy, Wendell, and Fisher all came in to the lab together and went to collect their paychecks from Dr. Saroyan. Afterwards, they had planned to stick around a bit, talk to some other folks, and see if they could gather any more gossip or news that would confirm whether Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth truly had finally become more than _just partners_. They split up – Daisy going one way and the boys going another.

Wendell and Fisher decided to start with Dr. Jack Hodgins, poking their heads into his ookie-room under the guise of just saying a friendly hello. They found Hodgins peering into his microscope, his usual grin stretched across his face making him look like a kid at Christmas time. Fisher was always a little baffled by how someone could so consistently seem to find such joy in the mundane routine of everyday life.

"Hey, Jack. How's it going?" Wendell called out in greeting.

Looking up from his workbench, Jack was surprised to see the two interns standing in his doorway. Since they were still dressed in their street clothes, they didn't appear to be there for work. "Hey Wendell. Fisher. What brings you two to the lab today?"

"Payday," came Fisher's straightforward and matter-of-fact response.

"Right." Jack just nodded his head, knowing intellectually that several of the interns lived paycheck to paycheck, but never having been in a position himself where he had to worry or wonder about money. He's always had way more of that particular commodity than he knew what to do with.

Wendell, ever mindful of their mission, tried to nonchalantly see if he could lead Hodgins into sharing any gossip. "So, man. We haven't been out for a beer together in a while. Not since well before the little guy was born at least. How've things been going? How's Angela doing?"

At the thought of his newborn son, Michael-Vincent, and his wife, Hodgins just seemed to glow from the inside-out with happiness. "They're amazing," he answered, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and flipping to the latest picture he'd taken just that morning of a tiny naked-except-for-his-diaper Michael-Vincent and Angela asleep on the couch together. "Here. Take a look. He eats, he sleeps, he cries, and he poops. To be honest, Angela's not doing a whole lot different right now herself, but we're starting to get into a rhythm. Sorta."

Looking at the photo of mother and child snuggled together, Wendell couldn't help but remember the pregnancy scare he and Angela had when they'd been dating. The thought briefly crossed his mind that if things had turned out a little differently back then, he might have been the one passing around _his_ phone with a picture of Angela cuddled with an infant, calling them his. He wasn't jealous of Jack and he didn't begrudge them their happiness, but Wendell came from a background where family pulled together for one another and looking at the picture made him realize that it was something he wanted to find for himself too, some day. "That's awesome, Hodgins. They look great."

Handing the phone back to Jack, Wendell asked "So, anything else interesting going on? Anything new or exciting happening here at the lab?"

"Oh, yeah." Jack's eye's started to sparkle and he almost vibrated with excitement. "C'mere and I'll share something with you that's kinda my little secret . . ." he spoke softly, conspiratorially, as he glanced out the door as though checking to make sure the coast was clear. As soon as Wendell and Fisher were close enough, a giddy Hodgins pointed down to what he'd been studying when they walked in. ". . . _Mycena chlorophos_. Just got the spores to cultivate these this morning and I'm trying to keep them low profile around Cam. These little guys actually glow in the dark quite vibrantly when their cap first forms and opens. While rare, they're still found in a handful of countries, just not domestically. These particular babies came from Sri Lanka."

For the next fifteen-minutes or so, Wendell and Fisher were lectured on everything they ever wanted to know and then some about little bright green glowing mushrooms. But, they didn't learn anything new about the two leaders of their crime fighting unit and their possible romantic status.

Meanwhile . . . elsewhere in the lab . . .

Daisy had had brief conversations with a couple of the different lab technicians that she was on a friendly basis with and had also come away no more enlightened than the boys. Now, she was trying to figure out the best way to approach Dr. Brennan herself. Watching her idol standing up on the examination platform in the center of the main room from the shadows, Daisy likened herself to a female lion, hiding in the tall grasses of the Serengeti and stalking her prey. _ I'm just going to go talk to her and see what happens. A subtle inquisition masquerading as civil dialogue between two mature and rational adult women._ With a fortifying deep breath, she stepped forward, swiping her access badge, and casually wandering up on to the platform.

Brennan noticed Daisy stepping up onto the platform from the corner of her eye, but paid no attention to the intern. She was focused on the remains laid out on the table in front of her. The body had just been delivered a couple hours earlier and the bones had not yet been cleaned of clothing or flesh. Brennan was studying the apparent areas of damage to the flesh in combination with the victim's x-rays to get a sense as to which wounds were likely man-made versus those more likely attributable to animal predation or the general process of decomposition.

Daisy slowly walked around the platform, hands linked together loosely behind her back as though she hadn't a care in the world. "Good afternoon, Dr. Brennan," she offered in a calm and formal manner with a regal bow of her head.

Brennan lifted just her eyes, shifting them from the remains before her to the intern coming to a stop across the table from her, then back to the remains. "Good afternoon, Ms. Wick," she responded, thinking Daisy's behavior was rather odd, even for Daisy.

"It appears you have a new case you are working on."

"Yes. That is correct."

Daisy leaned slightly over the table and looked at the victim while she tried to think of something witty to say to engage Dr. Brennan in small talk. "Hm. Female. Caucasian."

Brennan stopped what she was doing and stood up straight to look at Daisy, wondering why the girl would be stating something that everyone who had ever worked with her would've known she would have figured out for herself within the first minute of an examination. Brennan's first inclination was to order Daisy to simply go away, but she was making a conscious effort to be nicer to the interns when they initiate small talk ever since she snapped at Mr. Nigel-Murray for not focusing a month earlier only to have him die beneath her hands shortly thereafter. "Is there something I can do for you Ms. Wick?"

"No. No." Daisy shook her head, coolly stepping back from the table. However, forcing herself to remain calm and mature when she was internally bursting with curiosity was simply too much for Daisy and in the blink of an eye, she broke, her body language switching from remote and disinterested to something more like the excited antics of an 8-week old puppy while words suddenly spewed forth from her mouth in an animated torrent. "Yes. Yes. I can't help it. I know it's none of my business, but it's making me crazy. Dr. Brennan, I have to know. Are you and Agent Booth finally having sexual relations? Not individually, of course, because I know you've both had sex before with other people, but I mean with each other? Together. In the same bed. Or couch. Or . . . wherever."

Before Brennan could formulate a reply, she heard her name being hollered by her partner, distracting her.

"Bones? You up there?"

Booth swiped his card and bounded up the steps, stopping right in front of her with one arm behind his back.

"Booth. What are you doing here? I just started my examination and don't have anything substantive to tell you yet . . ."

"That's not why I'm here," he interrupted with a sweet, intimate smile, looking at her like she was the only thing in the room. Bringing his hand out from behind his back, he offered her a bouquet of a dozen hand-made origami flowers. Peach and cherry blossoms in a variety of sizes and colors all attached to long green straws and tied together at the base with a colorful ribbon. "You reminded me this morning that it's our first anniversary. First anniversaries are traditionally celebrated with an exchange of paper gifts so, I made you some paper flowers." Booth reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ears. "I didn't want you to think today wasn't important to me too. Besides, you deserve to get flowers sometimes, Bones."

Brennan automatically stripped the latex gloves off her hands and tossed them in a nearby waste receptacle before tentatively reaching out a hand to accept the flowers, admiring the intricately folded designs and feeling a little overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of his gesture. "These must've taken a lot of effort. Did you make all of these yourself?"

"Yeah. I know they're not that fancy. It's been a while, but fiddling around with origami was something I used to do when I was training as a sniper. Requires patience and calm control of your hands. And, it was a peaceful, relaxing way to pass the time." She didn't need to know about the other dozen or so attempts that had ended up in his trash can back at FBI headquarters as he'd struggled to recall the complicated paper folding techniques.

Brennan could see the uncertainty in Booth's eyes as he watched her closely to see if she really liked his simple gift. She knew he felt extremely insecure about giving her gifts due to their financial disparity. Always had. He didn't seem to realize though that the gifts he'd given her over the years – a plastic pig, a toy smurf, a Christmas tree outside a jailhouse, and now, these flowers – meant so much more to her than anything expensive or elaborate that he could purchase. These simple gifts were all tokens of love, which is all Brennan really wanted or needed from him.

With her free hand she grabbed the knot in his tie and pulled him towards her as she leaned forward up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was soft. And sweet. It expressed love and appreciation more than carnal desire. Pulling back only after enough time passed to be certain he got her message, Brennan let her hand slip from the top of his tie down to where she could pat him open handed over his heart. "They're perfect, Booth. Absolutely perfect. Thank you. I have an antique Scandinavian artifact in my office that I believe I can use as a vase. Let me go put these there and I'll be right back."

As she turned to leave the platform, she saw Wendell and Fisher standing at the bottom, mouths hanging ajar and she recalled Daisy's question from right before Booth showed up. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Daisy standing there, vibrating and literally biting her knuckles to keep herself from squealing with excitement over witnessing Brennan's moment with Booth.

"Oh, and to answer your question Ms. Wick . . . Yes. Agent Booth and I are having sexual relations. Together. In the same bed. Or couch. Or . . . wherever."

* * *

**A/N:** _Well, I think that's one of the longer single chapters I've ever written. Enjoy it?_


	10. Chapter 10 - Et al

**A/N:** _Okay, this is the final finale of this fic. I mean it. I'm really done this time. Once more, the format for at least a portion of this chapter is somewhat unique. Hope it works OK for everyone._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination. I also borrowed _Cosmopolitan_ without their permission and own no part of them either.

* * *

The rapid click-clack of Angela Montenegro's high heels building in a slow crescendo as they echoed off the polished concrete floor of the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal lab alerted Dr. Temperance Brennan to the pending arrival of her best friend in her office before she actually charged into the room, tossing the latest issue of _Cosmopolitan_ magazine onto Brennan's desk.

"What the hell is this?"

To say Brennan was perplexed would be an understatement. "It's a magazine," she answered slowly thinking it an odd question for Angela to ask, especially since she was the one to bring said magazine into the office.

Angela rolled her eyes and dropped down into the seat in front of Brennan's desk, leaning back and crossing her legs. "I _know_ it's a magazine, Sweetie. What I don't know is why I went to the grocery store this morning to buy orange juice and was greeted at the check-out counter with my best friend's picture front and center on the cover of _that_," Angela said, waving her arm to indicate the object of their discussion.

Brennan glanced down at the magazine then back up at Angela. "I don't understand what this has to do with orange juice. Why are you upset, Ange?"

"Because. As your best friend, I should not have had to learn that you are this month's cover girl for _Cosmopolitan_ magazine by being greeted with a picture of you wearing what looks like a white lab coat and nothing else, your breasts practically spilling out of the low v-neck line, and your hair with that tousled 'I-just-finished-a-hot-and-sexy-romp' look at 6:30 in the morning when I'm rushing to get home and breast feed my son his breakfast."

Brennan picked up the magazine and pushed back slightly from her desk, leaning back in her chair, her free hand automatically drifting down to rub unconsciously over the swollen bulge where her formally flat stomach would've been – a habit that had started about 6 weeks ago when her pregnancy had finally forced her out of her regular clothes and into her first foray with maternity wear.

She tried to study the photograph on the cover critically. She conceded there was some validity to Angela's assessment regarding her boobs. Her cleavage was quite pronounced in the picture. Even though the photo shoot had been several weeks ago now, her breasts had already started to balloon in size due to the pregnancy and the top button for the lab coat fell a couple inches below her breasts so a fair bit of skin was revealed. However, despite the fact that she and Booth _had_ engaged in a quite satisfying sexual interlude right before the photo-shoot, the magazine's people had brushed and teased and sprayed her hair for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time and Brennan didn't think it looked anything like it did immediately following her romp with Booth. To her, it just looked kind of messy. None the less, she thought the overall effect of the outfit, the hair, and the make-up combined into a relatively pleasing image.

"You don't like the picture?" Brennan queried.

Angela snorted. "Are you kidding? You looking fucking amazing Bren. That picture is HOT. Has Booth seen it yet? Because if he hasn't, he's going to go ballistic when he does. He's either going to be jealous as hell that every red-blooded male between the ages of 13 and 65 that sees that is going to get a hard-on or he's going to turn into a Neanderthal on you and drag you off to his cave so he can screw your brains out over and over."

"Mmmmhmmm," Brennan hummed, not making any attempt to restrain the wicked smile evoked by thoughts of Booth going a little primal. "I vote for the second option." While she treasured the times when her lovemaking with Booth was imbued with tenderness, there was something so passionate and visceral about their coupling when he was feeling more aggressive and out-of-control. She loved it.

Angela laughed. "You, my friend, are a naughty, naughty girl behind that demure façade you portray. Must be why we get along so well. Why didn't you tell me you were doing an interview with _Cosmo_?"

"I'm sorry Ange. I thought I mentioned it a few weeks ago when it came up. My publicist set the whole thing up when I was spotted by a member of the paparazzi as I left my 12-week check-up with my OB/GYN. They called my publisher looking for a statement and my publicist thought it would be better for my image and my book sales if I got in front of the issue and did a formal interview with a reputable media organization instead of having all sorts of speculation running rampant in the more sensational news rags. To be honest, I was extremely reluctant to do the interview because, well, what goes on between Booth and I is ours and now that our lives together are more intimately entwined, I didn't want to risk inadvertently saying something that he might perceive as a betrayal of his trust."

"Okay. Now that you mention that I do vaguely remember you mentioning your publicist wanting you to give an interview on your relationship with Booth, but that you didn't want to do it. How'd they convince you to change your mind?"

"Not me. Booth. They convinced Booth."

"I beg your pardon. Booth? Really?"

"Have you read the article yet?"

Angela gave her a sheepish grin. "Well, no. I was already running late this morning since I had to run to the store and didn't have time before leaving the house. Once I got to work, I just came in here instead."

Brennan leaned across her desk and handed the magazine back to Angela. "Here. Since I was balking at giving the interview, my publicist contacted Booth and convinced him of the benefit to being proactive with the news media. Knowing the root of my reservation was my reluctance to say something Booth wouldn't approve of, they resolved the issue by arranging for the interview to include both of us, Booth and me together. The only real stipulation was no photographs of Booth as it could impact his ability to execute his job."

Angela stood up and took back the magazine from Brennan's outstretched arm. Now that the initial shock she'd experienced before she was fully awake that morning was receding, she was curious as to what was discussed in the actual article. With a glance over towards Brennan's couch, she asked "Do you mind if I hang out here while I read it?"

Brennan shook her head and waved her arm towards the couch. "By all means, be my guest." Then she turned back to her computer screen and the work she'd been focused on before Angela's arrival while Angela curled up at one end of the couch, pulling the throw blanket off the back to cover her lap and snuggling in to read.

* * *

_**Another Side to Dr. Temperance Brennan**_

_By: Bea Anbeephan_

_Millions of people are familiar with the name Dr. Temperance Brennan from the multiple New York Times best-selling crime-mystery novels she's written. Past interviews with her about her novels have shown us a highly creative, yet coolly rational woman of science as the author of those stories. A smaller group of people are familiar with her reputation as a world-renowned forensic anthropologist. Her colleagues in that realm describe her as extremely intelligent, dedicated to her work, and a force to be reckoned with if you're trying to get away with murder. Her reputation for solving unsolvable crimes is unparalleled._

_Recently, I was offered the opportunity to interview Dr. Temperance Brennan - not just about her work as an anthropologist or her books, but also about her life and being in love. Unlike past interviews she's given, this time I was also presented the unique prospect of including her partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI in the interview as well. Trying to describe the obvious chemistry that sizzled between this dynamic duo in a written article is like trying to capture the majesty of Mt. Everest in a photograph. It's just something you have to experience to truly understand._

_**Dr. Brennan, how would you describe your career and how do you juggle the different aspects of what you do?**__ Well, juggling starts with defining priorities. First and foremost, I consider myself a forensic anthropologist. That is my primary career and everything else I do is secondary to that. Because of the erratic nature of my work with the FBI, I no longer teach coursework at the university, but I still advise graduate students and I still occasionally guest lecture. Most of the effort spent on my Kathy Reichs novels occurs outside standard office hours and I consider that writing as more of a hobby than a part of my career. - Temperance _

_**Seeley, how would you describe her work from your perspective? **__It's like she says. She is involved in a lot of different things, but Temperance is very adept at being able to compartmentalize and prioritize. Her brain processes information incredibly fast so she's usually several steps ahead of me at any given time and is often thinking about multiple things at once. Her energy, dedication, and knowledge have been invaluable to the FBI and many other agencies, including the CIA, Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense just to name a few. - Seeley_

_**As I understand it, you two typically introduce yourselves to people as "partners." What exactly does that mean?**__ Well, we've been working together on criminal investigations for over six years now and, like most partners in the law enforcement arena, we provide support for one another. We each have our own unique talents that we bring to an investigation, but we discuss cases together, investigate crime scenes together, interview witnesses or suspects together, and most importantly, we watch out for one another. – Temperance_

_**So, being "partners" is purely a description of your professional relationship, nothing more? **__ In the beginning that was true, but not anymore. These days we are partners in every aspect of our lives, both professionally and romantically. – Seeley_

_**Interesting. When did that change?**__ A few months ago. – Temperance. About five minutes after I met her. – Seeley._

_**Would you care to expand on that Seeley?**__ The very first time I met Dr. Temperance Brennan, she amazed me. She was smart, and beautiful. Compassionate and driven by a desire for justice. I knew right then and there that I wanted her to be part of my life. – Seeley_

_**And you, Temperance? Were you likewise enchanted?**__ I've never denied that I found Seeley Booth to be an extremely attractive man, even from the very beginning. However, at that point in my life, I was strictly focused on my career and reluctant to engage in a romantic relationship. – Temperance_

_**So nothing came of this attraction until fairly recently?**__ Well, she did proposition me during our first case and we almost slept together then, but I blew it. It was almost a year later before we started working together regularly and by then, I'd convinced myself our relationship should stay professional. – Seeley. Yes. He made it clear to me on more than one occasion that he was not amenable to a romantic relationship between us and I tried to respect that. – Temperance. But it wasn't always easy. We were both drawn to each other. She was my best friend and the most important person in my life after my son. We both spent so much time fighting our feelings and for so long that it took a few eye opening events plus a lot of work for us to get to a point where we could both acknowledge and accept them. – Seeley_

_**And now?**__ I love him. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him. – Temperance. The feeling's mutual. I'd die for her if necessary. - Seeley_

_**Dr. Brennan, there have been rumors for years that your partner here is the inspiration for one of the favorite characters in your novels, Agent Andy. Any truth to that?**__ None at all and I've never fully comprehended why those rumors persist. Certainly, there are similarities between Agent Booth and Agent Andy. They're both intelligent, successful, and good-looking FBI Agents of strong moral fiber. They're both educated alpha-males with military backgrounds who command the respect of their peers. They are both partnered with a female anthropologist in their crime solving endeavors. But that's all just coincidence. There are differences too. For example, I've been writing about Agent Andy's sexual prowess since I introduced his character and it's only recently that I've gained any firsthand knowledge of Agent Booth's sexual prowess. - Temperance_

_**When you read her books, do you draw parallels in your mind between what you see in her stories and what you know of her real life Seeley?**__ Sure, but I'm sure it's just like she says. All coincidence. – Seeley._

_**What's life like outside the office for you two? Do you enjoy the same ways to relax?**__ I like watching sports, exercising, tinkering with old cars, or just relaxing in the sun with a cold beer and doing nothing. Temperance never rests though. – Seeley. That's not true. I run, do yoga, and do martial arts. Obviously, I write my novels. I don't care for much TV but enjoy going out to sporting events, theatre productions, or music concerts. I enjoy continually expanding my knowledge and exercising my brain so in addition to reading, I like to work puzzles and brain twisters. We both enjoy dancing. – Temperance_

_**Despite having such varied interests and being so different, you seem quite committed to each other.**__ Yes. Very committed. In fact, in a few months, we're going to become parents. – Seeley_

_**You're going to have a love child?**__ Our child is 100% the product of our love for one another and we are both very excited about my pregnancy. If you're asking whether or not we plan to get married, the answer is no. We have no plans for a wedding in the near future. I love Seeley Booth and don't require a piece of paper to affirm my commitment to him. – Temperance_

_**Well, congratulations to you both. Seeley? Do you have any final words before we wrap up**__? Only that after more than six years together, Temperance Brennan still manages to amaze me on a regular basis. I feel confident that with her by my side, my life will be full of wonderful surprises and together we'll do our best to keep the bad guys off the streets so everyone's life is a little better, whether they know it or not. – Seeley_

_THE END_

* * *

Angela put down the magazine. "Well, that should pretty much take the steam out of the engines for the gossip mongers. You've admitted to your relationship with Booth, that you're expecting a baby and that you're not planning to get married. Not much more of any substance left for them to speculate about."

"Yes. My publicist wanted us to convey all those points for precisely that reason." Brennan agreed.

"I wish I could've been a fly on the wall to see the unedited version of your interview though," Angela muttered as she stood up to head to her own office.

* * *

The early morning sunlight was shining through the window in a warm and cozy kitchen several hundred miles away that same morning when a copy of the magazine was placed next to a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal.

"What's this?" Dr. Daniel Goodman asked, looking down at the magazine his wife slid in front of him. "Why that's Dr. Brennan . . . albeit a bit more of Dr. Brennan than I really needed to see." He picked up the magazine and took a closer look. "She's more voluptuous than in my recollections."

His wife laughed softly at him. "Just read the article Daniel." So he did.

"I thought you might enjoy seeing an update about one of your former co-workers. What do you think?" she asked him when he was done.

"To be quite frank, I'm surprised it took them this long. I'm not sure you ever saw Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth together but the sparks that flew between them from the instant they met – it was simply fascinating. How they managed to control themselves this long without combusting or killing one another is a mystery to me, but I think they'll be perfect for each other. In an odd way, they balance one another. I will admit though that the thought of Dr. Temperance Brennan suffering hormonal mood swings with her pregnancy makes me glad to be far away from Washington DC these days."

His wife laughed. "Coward."

* * *

Hannah Burley was walking rapidly through an airport on the other side of the world, rushing to catch a connecting flight to the fourth middle-of-nowhere stop she'd had to make this week alone when she just happened to glance at the newsstand she was passing. The sight of her former friend Temperance Brennan dressed provocatively staring back at her and causing her feet to halt in their tracks. _Wow. You go girl,_ she thought as she reached for the magazine.

Hannah had liked Temperance Brennan. She was a self-sufficient, intelligent, career-driven woman in a world which Hannah felt was still too heavily dominated by men in the positions of power. Being several years older than herself, Hannah had viewed Temperance almost like a big sister. It had hurt to leave Washington DC when Seeley ended their affair and her friendship with Temperance had been collateral damage. Several times she'd considered reaching out to Temperance and trying to maintain their relationship, but knew it wasn't really a realistic idea as the main thing they shared in common was Seeley and Hannah had moved on. She had a new lover now. One that wasn't looking for forever.

Hannah purchased the magazine and continued hurrying towards her departure gate, managing to arrive with about 15 minutes to spare before boarding so she dropped into a chair and began to read.

When she was done, she stared out the window, uncertain of what exactly she felt. _Temperance and Seeley?_ It seemed so wrong, and yet so right. Reading about how long they'd harbored feelings for each other was difficult since it included time before she'd known them. Recognizing that her time with Booth was probably lumped into what he had called "a few eye opening events" seemed to take what had been close to the best 8-months of her life and relegate it to a meaningless passage of time. And a baby? Seeley and Temperance were having a baby together. She studied the picture of Brennan on the cover, gently touching it and thought about Temperance with Parker and how Temperance's voice would radiate joy and excitement the times she had spoken of her nieces or the baby her friend Angela was expecting. Hannah hadn't pictured Temperance ever becoming a mother, but with very little thought, decided she would most likely be a great mom. She already knew Seeley was a great dad.

After Seeley had proposed, Hannah had stayed in Washington DC for a few weeks until she could get reassigned to an international position. She had reached for the phone so many times during those few weeks, debating whether she was making a mistake and whether she could go through with marrying him. She had convinced herself a dozen times that she should call him up and tell him yes. But, she was pretty certain something in their relationship had broken the night she turned down his proposal and her doubt that Seeley would even consider taking her back always stilled her hand. If nothing else, reading about his new life with Temperance and the feelings they'd harbored for so long proved that she made the right choice. At some level, he'd been in love with another woman even when he was dating her and that realization freed Hannah of any lingering doubts or regrets she had about walking away from their relationship.

When the airline announced the boarding of her group for her flight, Hannah stood up to get in line, leaving the magazine behind on the seat next to where she'd been sitting. She didn't need it anymore.

* * *

That a copy of the magazine had shown up in the mail one day where a young but extremely bored computer genius had sat puttering with the ankle bracelet he had just discovered how to remove undetected from his leg, thus allowing him the freedom to leave his home unnoticed, was purely an accident. It was supposed to be delivered to the lady who lived next door, but the mailman that covered his route was sloppy and occasionally their mail got mixed up.

Like any young man, his attention was initially captivated by the provocative picture on the cover. As he read the article and discovered more about Temperance Brennan and her partner Seeley Booth, he found himself fascinated by the reputed genius of the woman who said she enjoyed brain twisters. Someone who might actually be worthy of his regard. Within 24 hours, he had managed to download and read a substantial amount of information about Dr. Temperance Brennan and the rest of her team from the internet and an idea started to form of a game he could play. One that would be sure to engage her and the FBI, but one he felt confident he could ultimately win.

For the first time in months, Christopher Pelant was no longer bored.

* * *

**A/N:** _Okay. Now that it's made the news headlines, I think everyone knows and this should really, truly be the last chapter this time. I bet you didn't see that last little 'reveal' coming, did you? Comments or reviews appreciated._


End file.
